The Legend Of RAIN
by CLOUD MARIO
Summary: Team RAIN is a team of four people who almost have nothing in common. They don't even work well together but now, an evil organization is trying to destroy the world. Teams RWBY, JNPR and RAIN will have to give it their all in order to save the world. But they will soon find out that going down this road will uncover hidden secrets some aren't ready for... Set after Volume 2.
1. Chapter 1

**The Legend Of RAIN**

The sky was a clear beautiful bright orange. Not a single cloud was in the sky too block the sun's slow decent into darkness as it faded behind the mountains in the distance. The cool breeze made the leaves rustle and it was very calming to the mind. It was almost as if this was straight out of a painting at an art museum. There was but one figure standing there on top of a cliff to take it all in.

"So…this is why…" A young man said aloud as he looked at the gorgeous view of the forest and the sky. Autumn was truly a beautiful time of the year. He looked down at a gravestone and knelt down to place his hand on the top. "Hope you're doing ok up there…" The young man thought about the events that happened fours years ago, events that changed him and his fiends and even the fate of the world itself. Taking a deep breath to calm down from his bad memories, he exhaled and reached into his pocket. He placed a crimson rose on the grave before walking away on his journey back to Beacon.

Chapter 1: The Members Of RAIN

 _Four years before…_

Beacon academy was as still as ever. It was about 7:30am on a Friday. There were no classes for the day due to an important meeting between the teachers. All the students were sleeping in today except for two. If anybody were awake, they wouldn't be surprised who it was.

A tall girl with long beautiful blonde hair was watching a student that was practicing their attacks on a punching bag. Yang could see he was slowly getting drained of energy and sighed. He was a decent fighter and has even surprisingly taken down two behemoth class Grimm but he wasn't all that great at fights that lasted too long. Not unless he was pushed to his limit.

Yang was kicked out of her thoughts when she heard the boy drop to the ground panting. "So…tired…"

Yang shook her head and smiled. They have been at this since about 6:00. She got up and walked over to him. "You know Ratchet, you won't be able to beat me unless you work on your stamina."

Ratchet, 17 years old and the leader of team RAIN. He uses gauntlets like Yang and he has fire based abilities. He can cover himself in armor whenever he needs too when his gauntlets are on. Ratchet uses a shield and sniper as well but the shield is mostly on his back just for protection since he can block front attacks just fine. The sniper is almost a copy of crescent rose but it does not transform. He's a decent shot but it's mostly with him for personal reasons, a reminder if you will. He had an Afro which was surprising to some because you never really see those anymore. It should also be known that he had a romantic fling with Yang in the past but that wasn't for long. They are still friends however. Some could even say that Ratchet considers Yang his rival. Though he has yet to beat her.

Ratchet smiled and took Yangs hand when she offered it. "Thank you madam," he said in his weird medieval, heroic voice that he did sometimes. "I shalt never forget the fair words of thine maiden."

Yang chuckled a bit. "Alright calm down mr knight. You really need to train on those punches. Like to the point where you can do this." Yang swung her fist at the punching bag and punched it off its chain and across the room. She turned back and gave Ratchet a sly smile. "Got it?"

"Pfft, duh. I can do anything girl." Ratchet readied his fist as Yang hooked up another bag. With a powerful swing he unleashed all his strength and knocked the bag off its chain. But that's it. True, his punch was mighty but only enough to unhook the bag, not send it flying. "I was using the one you hit so I made it lighter for you."

Yang rolled her eyes and laughed. "Oh Ratchet, you'll never beat me. I think we should head back now. Our teams should be up."

Ratchet looked at the clock. "7:33 eh? Alright. See you at breakfast!" He then rushed off to his dorm.

Yang could only smile as she watched him go. He really is special. Him and his team will go far one day. I just know it. With one final thought playing through her head she headed back to her dorm.

 _About five minutes later…_

Ratchet made it back to the dorm room just in time to run into a small girl and knocking her over. _Ah hell. Of all the people…_

The small girl was on the ground and she gave Ratchet a death glare. "You. Stupid. Piece. Of. Shit!" She screamed at him. Ratchet winced at the crack in her banshee scream. It was unreal. "You just made me fall and you can't even apologize?! And where were you!? Oh wait let me guess, this turns you on huh? A poor small girl in her pajamas utterly defenseless against her heroic and charming leader!" The girl was now putting on a sarcastic show and it was enough to make Ratchet sigh in pain.

"Look," Ratchet began. "I'm so-"

"Don't interrupt me dick!" She yelled back. Ratchet honestly had no words for why he was cursed with her as a teammate. As the girl kept ranting, Ratchet just rolled his eyes or nodded in agreement. Finally after about ten minutes she left.

"Why god? Why Anna of all people?" He said to himself more than to the heavens.

Anna, a 16 year old girl who had no problem speaking her mind. She was the only girl on team RAIN. She was mean and hated Ratchet and Yang after a certain incident a couple years back. She wields a more advanced version of Ruby's Crescent Rose in scythe form. Though the team refuses to go into detail as to how they acquired such a weapon. The only hint she gave was the word 'Future.' She's tolerable at times but Weiss was better to hang out with than Anna. Now that's a scary thought. As far as anyone could tell, she hated people and is even a bit distant when it comes too her team.

Ratchet walked to the door of his teams room and opened the door, stepping in. Not surprisingly the teams newest member was sitting in his fancy chair at his fancy desk in some very fancy clothes. "Yo Ratchet. How's it going? I'm gonna assume you were out training or you got your ass beat by Yang."

"Sorry to disappoint, but I was only training my good man." Ratchet said as he walked to his dresser.

"Ah, shame. So I heard what happened outside. Anna sure isn't happy."

"Never fear, must be her time of the month. What are you doing anyway Ivin?" Ratchet asked noticing the book that was in Ivin's hand.

"Just some tech stuff is all." Ivin replied.

Ivin Kekovich, 19 years old and the newest member of team RAIN after a certain incident took place a while ago. He was a handsome man with white hair and was always being chased or surrounded by girls. His company is also extremely rich. As a matter of fact his company is giving the schnee dust company a run for their money even though Weiss refuses to admit it. He wields a simple blade that he is very capable with. He too has fire based abilities like Ratchet but outmatches him in terms of skill. Ivin will graduate next year.

Ratchet looked at Ivin with a raised eyebrow. "Now you wouldn't be planning on strapping untested equipment on our gear again would you?"

Ivin gave an exaggerated scoff. "As if I would ever do something so barbaric." They both laughed and enjoyed the little moment they had. Ratchet and Ivin have become best friends very quickly compared to how long it took the other two to like Ivin. After their laugh the bathroom door opened and another boy stood in the door way.

"What's so funny? You guys finally coming out?" He asked.

"Ha ha. Very funny Nick." Said Ivin sarcastically.

Nick, 17 years old and due to events that happened awhile ago, he and Ratchet aren't on good terms. They are still friends but it's clear that there is some tension between the two at times. He wields a mighty hammer that has a cannon form and he has a suit of armor that he can call forth. Unlike Ratchets suit of armor, Nick has an A.I companion that assists him with mostly anything he needs. Nick was the only person on team RAIN (before Ivin joined) who likes to think before going straight to action. However he can sometimes go into a bloodlust during combat and can't really focus on other matters other than destroying his enemy. These days he tends to be apart from the rest of the team whenever he has free time. Nobody knows why.

Nick looked at Ratchet who had walked over to his dresser and was staring at the sniper laying on top of it. Nick got dressed and motioned for Ivin to head out. "Hey Ratchet? We are gonna meet everyone at the cafeteria alright?" Ratchet was still staring at the sniper. He didn't even move. "See you in a bit…?" With that he left the room with Ivin.

Now completely alone, Ratchets shoulders slumped and he gritted his teeth. Looking at the sniper he was reminded of his last teammate. The painful reminder that he had failed as a friend and a leader. She should've made it but instead she died. Ratchet gripped the edges of the dresser and was about to breakdown when two strong yet caring arms wrapped around his torso.

"It's ok. There's no need to rush. I'll be here with you until you're ready." Said a beautiful soothing voice. Ratchet knew who it was and was a bit surprised he didn't hear her come in. Nonetheless, he was happy she was here for him.

"Thank you…its just hard Pyrrha…" He said with a single tear rolling down his cheek.

She turned him around so he could look into her emerald eyes. "Loss is always hard. But you aren't alone. Your friends and team are here for you. Never forget that." She smiled and gave him a kiss. "You also have me." She then pulled him into a very warming hug.

Loss was hard, that much he knew. But he was glad he had Pyrrha. She had helped him with a lot ever since the incident. To be honest, he would probably still be a mess without her. "I'll be out in a sec ok?" He told her.

Pyrrha released him and nodded. "Ok. I'll be outside." With that, she walked outside the room.

Ratchet turned back to the sniper. There was a blue circular device on it. He never used it yet but Ivin said he could summon it at anytime he needs it, so long as the device is on it. Ratchet placed his hand on the sniper. "I'll be back Irene. I'm gonna eat some breakfast. Then we can go shoot stuff, ok?" Removing his hand, he turned around and walked out of the room. Closing the door he turned and gave Pyrrha his trademark smile and thumbs up. "Let's go."

Irene, 17 year old girl who was a childhood friend of Ratchet like Anna and Nick. They were all close considering they were orphans who grew up together, went to the same school and we're all on the same team forming RAIN. She perished in the Grimm invasion a couple months back by a behemoth class. She was a quiet girl who tried keeping Ratchet in line when he went a little too wild. A good shot with the sniper, she was there to help Ratchet slay a behemoth Grimm inside a small cave. She also had a small crush on Ruby Rose but Irene was sure nobody knew however, Ratchet soon found out because it was kinda obvious. She loved reading books, possibly more than Blake. Her death still haunts Ratchet and is one of the reasons he is so hard on himself now than he ever was before. It is unknown how close to Ratchet she was but from his side it must have been close because he is still having trouble coping with her death. Her sniper is all that remains of her, therefore Ratchet named it Sorrows End. He also keeps an eye on Ruby so nothing happens to her, something he is sure Irene is thankful for in the afterlife.

This is team RAIN. They are all powerful in their own way and soon the things they will accomplish will be one of, if not the greatest legend in all of Remnant.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Ghosts Of The Past

Breakfast was a little awkward at first for team RWBY, JNPR and RAIN. It was clear Ratchet was a bit down and they all tried comforting him. After a couple minutes he was his old usual self, laughing and chatting with everyone.

"So Ratchet here woke me up at 6 in the morning just so he could have someone watch him punch a bag." Yang told the group making Ratchet drop his spoon into his bowl.

"You promised you wouldn't tell Yang!" Ratchet was slightly blushing when everyone laughed at him a bit.

Pyrrha was surprised at the sudden news. "Did you need the extra work?"

Ratchet nodded. "Yeah. I just feel like lately we haven't had enough time to train so why not just get in some work whenever I can?" He smiled and that made Pyrrha smile back.

"Ok…well just don't go overboard. And remember your stance. Also don't use your semblance all the time. And don't even think about rushing into fights without your gear or a plan in mind. Better to be safe than sorry." Pyrrha was lecturing him once again on all his training lessons. The group laughed at the two of them. It was cute to see Pyrrha all worried about Ratchet's well being. Though the young man was very capable despite his ignorance for a lot of things.

Ignorance is bliss as the saying goes.

After another ten minutes, the three teams split for the day. Team RWBY went to the library because Weiss was worried about their grades (mostly Yang and Ruby's). JNPR went off to train a bit. Jaune wanted to practice with Ren and Nora just to see if he could learn something new. As for RAIN, they had no idea.

"So uh…what do we do?" Nick asked the other three.

"Maybe we should study?" Ivin said with a smile. "Anna does need the extra help."

Anna glared at him. "Bite me. School sucks. Let's go kill stuff."

"Well…" Ratchet scratched the back of his head and looked outside. It was supposed to be a nice day today. Plus he did say he would kill stuff with Irene later. "I don't see why not. Plus we aren't really planning anything are we?"

"What about that message?" Ivin asked.

"I beg your pardon?"

Anna face palmed. "The message we all got today. Before you showed up we all got one in each of our inboxes. Idiot."

Ratchet just stared at them and then took out his scroll. Sure enough, he had a unread message from a unknown sender. "And nobody thought this was weird?"

Nick shrugged. "It's us dude. Weird is like our team description." Ivin and Anna nodded in agreement and Ratchet rolled his eyes. Opening the message, he noticed immediately that is was very short. And vague.

 **Members of team RAIN…We have a mission for you four. Meet at the docks in Vale should you choose to accept. Anytime will do.**

"Ok…" Ratchet said after reading the message. Putting his scroll back in his pocket, he just stared at his friends with a slightly raised eyebrow. "You three seriously think this is just normal for us? Because I mean, this seems a little too weird for us."

Anna shrugged. "Who cares. As long as we are out doing something let's go."

Ivin nodded. "I agree with her. We aren't doing much today anyway."

Nick thought about it for a couple seconds. "We could just hear them out and if it's not too weird then let's do it. If it's crazy then we bail."

Ratchet seemed ok with this plan so after texting Pyrrha that they would be out in the city, they got on an airship and headed out.

 _A few minutes later…_

The ride to Vale was quiet and uneventful as the team just sat there and stared out the windows. Once they landed, they made their way to the docks. It was disturbing that there weren't any people out in the city today. As the team was walking, they noticed the sky had darkened a bit, as if it would rain at any moment. The wind also picked up but not enough to make any of them shudder to the sudden cold.

"The irony that team RAIN may get caught in rain!" Nick said laughing at his own joke. The other three just scowled at him. "Oh come on. That was good."

"Anyway," Anna said rolling her eyes. "The weather was supposed to be sunny today. This is kind of weird. Plus there aren't any people out. You'd think people would still be out even if the weather was going to be bad."

"I agree. It almost feels like we are being watched. Maybe this was part of the messengers plan?." Ivin said looking behind the group to make sure they weren't being followed. Not surprisingly, he couldn't see a single person amongst the various streets and alleys.

After a few more minutes it started to sprinkle a bit, but the team still wasn't phased by it. They finally arrived at the docks after about ten minutes of walking and immediately noticed the lack of boats in the water. There were no people around or near the docks. Almost as if everyone in town was hiding from someone or something. With the exception of team RAIN, one could say the city was dead.

 _Ding_

Ratchet turned around to the sound of a bell ringing. It was low and almost inaudible but he heard it. Though he couldn't tell which direction it was coming from. Seeing nothing at all he turned to his team. "Did you guys hear that?"

Nick looked around and shrugged. "Probably just the wind dude."

 _Ding_

"I'm serious guys, there's a dinging sound coming from somewhere."

Ivin just looked around but saw nothing. "Maybe Nick is right. Plus I don't hear anything."

 _Ding_

Ratchet readied his gauntlets and narrowed his eyes. "When was the last time the wind made a ding sound for you huh?"

Anna sighed and looked out at the water. Then she looked closer. And that's when she saw a figure. "Yo fools I think someone is in the water!" Anna pointed at where she was looking and sure enough the three boys saw the figure. None of them could tell if the body was moving or not.

"Damn, this better not be because of our mysterious friend or else they are dead." Ivin said gripping the handle of his sheathed blade. "Should we get in?"

 **"Now why would you do that Ivin? How can you save the person on the water if you're in the water?"**

Everyone turned around and saw nothing. The strange demonic voice of a small girl was giving Anna goosebumps. Nick got his hammer ready and Ratchet heard another ding which made his right eye twitch. Ivin unsheathed his blade and surrounded it in scorching flames.

"Ivin you shouldn't play with fire. It could hurt people you care about. Or perhaps yourself."

Ivin felt a tap on his shoulder. Quickly turning around he was face to face with a girl who had an eyepatch on her left eye and the other was bright yellow. She smiled and jumped back a couple feet.

"Behind us!" Ivin informed the others. As Ratchet, Nick and Anna turned around they were stunned at the girls appearance. She was short, about Anna's height and her bright eye color made it hard to look directly at her eye. She wore a black wedding dress but no veil. The dress was shredded and had a couple holes in it, though it only revealed patches of skin and nothing inappropriate. Besides her appearance, she clearly had some decency or pride.

 **"What? Never seen a drop dead gorgeous girl?"**

Anna scoffed. "As if you're gorgeous." She then summoned her future scythe and leaned on it. "I can name like 3 guys who are more gorgeous than you." Anna laughed and Ratchet rolled his eyes. The mystery girl was probably about a 7/10 but he didn't care about that right now.

"Are you the one who sent us that message?" Ratchet asked the girl.

The girl gave a wicked smile. "And if I did?"

"Start talking or we're walking." He shot back.

The girl laughed. **"Pfft. As if I care. None of you are that interesting to have received a message from mwah. No, that was my dear friend. I'm sure you all remember who she is."**

Ratchet just looked at his team who in turn, just looked at one another before facing the girl. "We know a lot of girls. You're gonna need to be more specific."

The girl lifted her finger and pointed at the water. **"She's over there on the water just watching us. She seems to be very fond of you all for some reason, mostly Ivin and Nick."**

Ivin and Nick gave her a confused look before facing the water with Ratchet and Anna. The figure in the distance was still there but after a few more seconds, it was gone.

 _DING_

This time the ding was loud enough to be heard by everyone and it sounded like it was right next to their ears. Ratchet turned around to the source of the sound.

"W-what…" Ratchet stuttered as he took a step back from the girl that had suddenly appeared next to the mystery girl.

Anna's eyes were wide open and she had dropped to the ground along with her scythe as tears were building up in her eyes. "N-no way…"

Ivin and Nick had horrified expressions on their faces as their minds tried to comprehend what was going on.

"What's wrong…" Said the girl that was standing next to her partner. "You look like you've all seen a ghost."

Ratchet was at a lost for words. No…it can't be…this is a trick. He gritted his teeth. But if it isn't... He clenched his fist so hard his knuckles turned white. Gathering his strength, he took a step forward. With a defiant look in his eyes he stared down the girl.

After a few seconds he spoke. "Who the fuck said you could come back from the dead, Irene…"


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Destructive Reunion

Irene and Ratchet stared each other down for a long period of time. The only sounds were the waves crashing against the shore and the howling wind. A massive boom could be heard in the distance and it was clear that thunder was on its way.

 **"How rude!"** The mystery girl said with an exaggerated expression of disgust on her face. **"Irene you sure this guy was your friend? I mean you'd think he would be jumping all over the place now that you're back."**

Irene's gaze didn't waver from Ratchets eyes. "You're right. He was my friend. Now, he's just someone who will either be my enemy or another useless piece of trash we will use and replace when the time is right. Nothing more, nothing less."

Ratchet payed no attention to her comment and decided it was time for some answers. "Irene what's going on? Why are you here...you died during the Grimm invasion."

"Correction. I was reborn during the Grimm invasion. Get your facts straight before you talk or else you sound like a confused fool." She responded coldly.

Ratchet was losing his patience. "That's because I'm confused! How long have you been back? Who is the girl next to you and what do you even want from us."

Irene sighed. "You don't need to know. My partners name is Liz. As for your last question…" Irene chuckled a bit. "We want you to do us a favor."

Ivin didn't like the way that sounded and he regained his composure. "What favor would you want from us?"

Liz raised her hand and pointed it at Ivin. **"Pets shouldn't speak unless spoken too."** Suddenly a crystal ball surrounded Ivin faster than he could react. Ratchet and Nick turned too see if Ivin was alright but they couldn't see inside. Nick doubted they could hear him since they can't even see him.

It was as if Ivin was locked in a crystal ball. He could hear and see them all clearly but when he tried saying anything the team didn't respond and he believed they could not see him either. As for breaking out, that was going to be a problem. Ivin could tell even with his most powerful attack, it may not do much to the crystal. For now, he was forced to watch until he had a plan.

Ratchet and Nick were furious. Ratchet took a couple steps closer to the girls. "Release Ivin now!"

Irene just looked at him with a bored expression. "What's wrong? You don't want me back? I was part of team RAIN before this spoiled brat. I'm curious, why are you mad? Did you really care about me, or were you happy I was dead?" Irene knew exactly how to get under his skin. Though, she was curious as to why he reacted the way he did when he saw her.

Ratchet lowered his gaze from the girls and stared at the ground. "Didn't care? Is that what you think?" Ratchet's shoulders slumped. "I've never felt so much pain in my life. There is nothing in this world that could compare to the pain I felt when you were killed." Ratchet looked up at Irene, who was taken aback when she saw tears in his eyes. "I love all my friends. Too lose one of them is like losing a part of my life I'll never get back. It's even more painful since we all grew up together." Ratchet sniffed and wiped his eyes. His legs felt weak and he didn't have that fire in his eyes anymore. Irene sensed his hostility fading and was shocked at what she had heard.

 **"Pfft! Like anyone is going to believe that sappy story!"** Liz said with a laugh and she turned towards Irene, giving her a kiss on the cheek. **"You aren't going to listen to this pathetic excuse for a hunter right babe?"**

Irene was pulled out of her thoughts and glared at Ratchet. "Never, not in a million years."

Ratchet saw Irene's eyes and gave her a sad smile. _So that's how it is huh?_ Irene gave him no choice, he took an offensive stance and looked at the two girls. "Not in a million years huh? That's ok, cause you're gonna be dead in five minutes!" Ratchet slammed his fists together, releasing intense energy all around his teammates.

Irene and Liz took a couple steps back before Irene whispered to Liz. "I don't think he's in the mood to talk anymore."

Liz gave her beloved a wicked smile. **"Good. I was getting bored of this pathetic excuse for a reunion! Let's kill them all!"**

"Will you just shut up already!" Screamed Anna as she got up and sliced the crystal ball in half. Ivin fell out with a look of fear in his eyes. Judging by the cut on his face, Anna was very close to killing him. Anna shot Liz an evil glare. "I was balling like a little baby for a little bit because my friend is finally back! Now I see you two are lesbians?! And evil?! Like, are you fucking kidding! And then this little shit over here," Anna yelled, pointing at Ivin before continuing her angry rant. "He gets captured inside of a fucking rock?! I'm so pissed right now! I swear I'm going to kill you both and enjoy it!" Anna finally finished her outburst and was breathing heavy. Everyone just stared at her with wide eyes.

"Um…are you good now?" Nick asked, afraid there was more.

Anna calmed down and got into a defensive stance. "Yes. Now let's kill them."

"Ivin you ok?" Asked Ratchet.

Ivin just shrugged. "My aura is gone thanks to that scythe of Anna's but I'll be fine."

"Good." Said Ratchet. "This is gonna hurt."

Irene and Liz stared down team RAIN as they decided on their plan of action. After mentally debating, Irene put a hand on Liz's shoulder. "Relax. I can handle three of them. As for Ratchet…I want to see how much this fool has grown."

Liz frowned but agreed. **"Ok then. But if you get a single scratch on you, I'm on top tonight!" Liz then skipped back a couple feet and created a crystal chair to sit on.**

Irene smiled. Like I'd let you on top. She then focused on the group in front of her. _Assuming Ratchet and Yang continued their training sessions, he's the slowest. Anna seems to be on the defensive. Though…that scythe could be a problem. Also, it seems it got longer. Ivin mentioned it took away his aura. So I need to avoid that at all costs. Ivan's aura is at zero and Nick has his hammer, he should be slow with it and even slower in cannon form._ Irene couldn't help but laugh at the situation. She'd already analyzed their speeds and fighting styles before the fight even started. "Such a pity that you are all going to die by my hand."

"Funny," Irene's eyes opened wide as she heard Ratchets voice behind her. "I'm pretty sure we were all going to say the same thing." Ratchet released a fire shot from his gauntlets. Irene was fast enough to dodge it without effort but there was a hint of panic in her eyes. What?! He shouldn't be able too move that fast! She noticed Nick charging her and she easily ducked under his mighty hammer when he swung at her.

Jumping back a few feet, she eyed Ivin and Anna. They aren't charging? Not surprising, without aura, Ivin can't take a huge hit and so Anna will cover him with her powered up scythe. However…

Ratchet ran towards Irene and unleashed a few fiery jabs at her but she was able to block them with her enhanced aura. Once Ratchet was finished with his combo, she aura pushed him away and made her way towards Anna and Ivin at an incredible speed. Anna swung her scythe once Irene was in range but she slid under it and pulled out a short sword to slash Ivin's legs. However, Ivin was not a novice when it came to battles. He blocked her with his blade and called upon hellfire to blast her away. Irene saw the blade turn orange and quickly rolled away as it unleashed a blast of intense flames.

BOOM!

The ground shook with such intensity that Irene couldn't stand up right away. What on remnant was that?! Looking in the direction of Nick and Ratchet, she saw the massive suit of armor. Nick was getting inside it while Ratchet was covering him. Ratchet noticed Irene looking over in his direction and gave her a cocky smile before he winked.

The fuck? Did he just wink? Irene suddenly realized she was wide open since she was still on the ground. Quickly getting up, she was able too only gain a scratch from Anna's scythe. Irene cursed under her breath as not only did she feel her aura get cut in half, but her cloak was also ripped in the front.

"Wow…" Anna said staring at Irene's body. She was covered in bones like a normal Grimm was and Anna noticed that this whole time, Irene was fighting with one hand. The other was in her cloak. Now with the cloaked torn, it was clear her arm was a Beowulf claw.

Ivin was shocked just as much as Anna. "What the hell happened too you…?"

Irene was about to take this chance to attack but a rocket blew up on the ground in front of her, blasting her a couple feet back. She rolled along the ground before hitting the side of the management building for the docks. With blurry vision she looked up too see the hulking suit of armor in front of her.

"Any last words?" Nick said from inside his machine. Irene said nothing and just spit on his armor. "So be it." He raised his foot but was suddenly stopped by a crystal shield over Irene. "What?!" Nick turned too see Liz with a sly smile. She made the crystal into a cradle and brought Irene over in it.

Irene glared at her. "What do you think your doing?" She managed to say. It was clear that the rocket got a good hit on her. She was holding back a groan of pain.

Liz petted her beloved. **"Shhh, it's ok. We can go home ok? I'll get you patched up. And then later,"** she leaned in and whispered in her ear. **"I'm on top."** She playfully nibbled on Irene's ear for a second before turning back to team RAIN. It was clear none of them were tired and could still fight for a bit. Though with that suit of armor Nick has and Ivin's aura slowly coming back, it was clear this was not a fight she would like to continue.

Pulling out a box, she let the four see it. **"Behold your mission. Should you choose to accept it, everyone will be safe. But if you choose too ignore it, then I hope you like earth shattering events."** Liz gave a wicked, spine chilling laugh before fading into darkness with Irene.

"Tsk. We should've finished them off Ratchet." Anna said stabbing the ground with her scythe.

"Perhaps. But if we come to regret it later then so be it." Ratchet walked over to the box and opened it up without concern if it was a bomb or some trap. Seeing a big folder in it, he opened it up to the first document. His eyes were wide open after just reading the first paper. "Oh no…"

"Well? What's in it?" Ivin called. But the expression on Ratchets face when he turned towards them said it all. Whatever it was, it was beyond terrible.

"There's…a big folder in it with a bunch of documents." Ratchet gulped and closed the box before looking up at the shattered moon. "It's called…operation MoonLight…and the goal is to destroy all humans and Faunus in the world...by dropping the moon on Remnant…"


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: The Decision

It's been two days since the reunion with Irene and the shocking revelation of her and Liz's plan. Team RAIN had no words or plans as to how they should go about this. Pyrrha noticed Ratchet had been avoiding her. Not just her though, he and his team were avoiding everyone. Skipping classes, not responding to any texts. Everyone was getting worried.

"What happened to them the other day?" Ruby asked Yang. Team RWBY was in the cafeteria eating lunch. Not surprisingly, team RAIN wasn't here with them.

"I'm not sure but it's a little depressing not having them around. Hell, even Ivin is talking to anybody. Somethings up and it doesn't seem good." Yang could tell Ruby didn't really understand but that was the truth. She didn't know any other way to tell her.

"Hmm…" Ruby frowned a bit and stared at her food, as if it would give her an answer to their questions.

Weiss noticed Ruby frowning and soon her face lit up and she had a huge smile. "Ruby…what are you planning?"

"Who me?" Ruby said innocently. "Nothing at all Weiss! I was just gonna slip through their door when one of them leaves."

Blake looked up from her book with a questioning look. "Isn't that a bit rude? That's their private room. Perhaps there is a reason they are avoiding everyone?"

Yang nodded. "True. But the last time they did this was back when…you know." Everyone remembered how Irene's death affected the group. She never interacted with any of them enough to form a strong bond but it was no secret that Ratchet, Anna and Nick all grew up with her.

"Well…maybe we could just ask them directly? It's not like they stay in the room all day right?" Ruby asked her team.

"That would seem like the best course of action. We should just confront them." Weiss added.

"Well if you two are in so am I." Yang said with a smile. "Blake?"

Blake closed her book and set it down. "Sure. So what's the plan Ruby?"

Ruby got really excited and began to tell them about her little scheme that would get team RAIN too speak to them.

 _Team RAIN dorm..._

Team RAIN was in their room. Everyone was on their beds doing their own things. Ivin was reading a book, Anna had fallen asleep, Nick was staring outside the window and Ratchet was reading through the files in the box that Liz gave them.

The documents in the box held lots of information. It didn't explain how they would drop the moon but it did tell them when they would begin their operation. The organization was named Freedom. It was odd. Freedom wanted to kill all life on Remnant except for the Grimm. It didn't make sense.

"Hey dude." Ratchet turned his gaze over to Nick who was still staring out the window. "Maybe you should stop looking at those."

"What? Why?" Ratchet put some papers down and had his full attention on Nick.

"What are you looking for? It's been two days and we haven't even decided what we are going to do. We are just huntsman in training. This isn't our fight. Just give that box to the headmaster and let the professionals handle this."

Ratchet was at a lost for words. He didn't know Nick felt this way. He thought his friend would want to help him. "Nick…how the hell do you handle the moon falling!"

"Exactly!" He yelled back, finally facing Ratchet. "How do we?! Maybe the huntsman can actually do something! We're just kids, we aren't trained to deal with planet sized threats!"

Ratchet glared at Nick. "Maybe not. But we can't let this go through. Plus if we show this to professor Ozpin, whose to say he won't just stop us from pursuing this?!"

Nick was about to shout back but Ivin made a loud sigh that caught their attention. "Listen…this is just too much to take in. For two days we have been avoiding classes and our friends. And for what? We have yet to actually accomplish anything. We can't do this alone Ratchet. But at the same time, we can't just let the huntsman handle this Nick. Irene is our problem. So if she is with Freedom, then we need to deal with it."

Ratchet and Nick were both at a lost for words. Ivin was right. Not only that, how could you argue with him? Irene and Liz and Freedom seemed to be a massive threat to the world, more so than the white fang. Ratchet sighed and was about to speak up before the door to their room was being slammed from the outside.

"Open up right now! Or I swear I'll bust it down!" It didn't take a scientist to figure out that was Yang's fiery voice.

"Did she hear us?" Nick asked, contemplating if jumping out the window was a decent idea.

Ratchet shook his head. "These rooms are almost soundproof right? However...someone with a keen sense of hearing…" He sighed as he realized Blake probably had her ear on the door and told her team what had happened. Jumping off his bed, Ratchet headed towards the door and opened it to see a furious Yang, worried Ruby, and a concerned expression from Weiss and Blake. "So I take it you know what we were talking about?"

Ruby spoke up first but she her voice was shaky, because of her sister or the news was anyone's guess. "W-we heard everything. We just wanted to know if you were all ok."

Yang took a step forward and held her fist up, ready to knock out Ratchet whose facial expression was unreadable. "Why would you hide something this big?! How long have you known?!"

Ratchet sighed. _Yup…she's pissed._ Looking into her red eyes, he slowly began explaining everything that happened two days ago. As the story went on, the faces of the four girls went from suspicious to concern to absolute shock.

"That…can't be true." Weiss said. She was having a hard time grasping the reality of the story. Blake seemed to accept it, even if her face didn't show it. Yang had calmed down and had pinched herself to make sure she wasn't dreaming. Ruby seemed the most disturbed.

"So…is Irene back?" Ruby asked Ratchet. The girls looked at him to see how he would respond to that.

Truth be told, he had no answer. Irene was alive! That was a fact that made him happy but she wasn't the same Irene that had supposedly died a few months back. She was evil, sick in the head and probably hell bent on the success of operation MoonLight. The things she has probably done for Freedom could've been terrible. There's just no easy way to talk about it.

Ratchet took a long needed sigh before answering. "Yes...but she isn't the same. She's working for an organization named Freedom. Their goal is to destroy all humans and Faunus on Remnant. We have yet to decide on what we should do with all this information."

The four girls just stared at Ratchet for what seemed like an eternity. Finally, Blake spoke up. "If Irene is back, you should handle this. But you can't take down an entire organization on your own."

"You're right." Ratchet said. Looking at the girls and then turning to see his team, he finally made a decision. "Team RAIN will stop operation MoonLight and take down Freedom. I'd be much more confident if team RWBY and JNPR helped as well."

Ruby was still a bit confused at everything but her team swore that they would stop all harm that would come to the people. Saluting in a childish fashion she smiled. "Team RWBY accepts!"

Ratchet nodded and then pulled out his scroll. _Now…how do I get Jaune on board with this…_

* * *

 **A/N: Hello there. If you've managed to deal with my terrible writing skills for this long than thank you very much.**

 **As you can tell, this is my first story. I've always wanted to put up my own story on here since I started getting back into fanfics and stuff.**

 **So here's how things will go...**

 **This story is technically finished. Ive got all the chapters finished but I gotta make sure they have the right spelling and stuff so yeah.**

 **Theres no certain limit on how long chapters will be but overall I think there's only like 3 short chapters.**

 **Im also super sorry if the main characters like from RWBY or JNPR seem a bit out of character from what they usually are.**

 **You know, probably should've put this at the end of the first chapter...but I wasn't sure how too. Ah well, better late than never. (I'm still getting used to all the different format and stuff since I wrote this story on a word app)**

 **For those that have made it this far, thanks and I hope you enjoy what this story has to offer in this journey of secrets and surprises.**

 **\- CLOUD MARIO**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Super short chapter. Sorry about that.**

* * *

Chapter 5: The Definition Of A Hero

The next day, Ivin had gotten some alone time with Jaune. Ratchet went to talk with Pyrrha and told Ivin he should handle Jaune. Nick and Anna handled Ren and Nora. Jaune and Ivin were sitting at the cafeteria eating lunch. At first, it was quiet and awkward. Ivin and Jaune were friends but they rarely hung out when it was just the two of them.

Jaune picked up his sandwich. Before digging in, he decided to start a conversation. "So Ivin what'd you want to talk about?" Jaune bit into his sandwich after asking.

"Ah yes. My apologies." Ivin said before pulling out his scroll. "You remember this girl right?" Pulling up a picture of Irene, he showed Jaune.

Jaune almost chocked on his food while it went down. "Y-yeah. That's Irene. Um…why?"

Ivin sighed and took a sip from his diet soda. "She's back. And it's not good." Ivin saw Jaune's confused expression and began explaining the situation. Not surprisingly, he was very worried about the whole thing.

After Ivin wrapped up what happened at the docks, Jaune raised his hand to stop Ivin. "Ivin this is insane. What…are you trying to tell me?"

Ivin looked around to make sure no other students were ease dropping. Nothing seemed suspicious, plus it was quite loud in here, so he continued. "Teams RWBY and RAIN will be trying to stop an organization named Freedom. Along with trying to stop Operation MoonLight. As we speak, Ratchet, Nick and Anna are talking with Ren, Nora and Pyrrha about this."

Jaune was shocked at what he heard. Slowing placing his sandwich down he shifted his gaze to the table. His hands were now on his lap and he tried keeping them from shaking. "I'm sorry…but I don't think I can…"

"Jaune it's alright. Your team doesn't have to do this."

"No!" Jaune yelled. Ivin was surprised by his sudden outburst but he remained calm and let Jaune continue. "Pyrrha, Nora and Ren will definitely want to help you all…but I can't."

Ivin was confused, but after thinking about it he understood. "You're afraid? Or you think you aren't skilled enough for such a task?" Jaune said nothing but Ivin could tell by his silence he was on point. "It's funny, you're just like him."

Jaune looked up at Ivin. "Like who?"

Ivin smiled. "Your great grandfather." Jaune gave Ivin a puzzled look. "I never knew him obviously, but he was close friends with my grandfather. Apparently they had a lot of adventures together. You two are very alike. He was scared and not too skilled. However, he never gave up. And now look, he's a famous war hero."

"Ivin…" Jaune started but Ivin stopped him.

"I can tell there is greatness in you. I can tell you have much hidden strength within you. I can also tell, you'll accept this mission." Ivin smiled and turned to look outside before continuing. "Like Ratchet and Ruby, you are a team leader. All three of you inspire hope into your team, even if you all have different ways of doing it. But I can see greatness in them. Ratchet, for all his flaws, is a great fighter and someone who cares deeply for his friends. Ruby is the youngest out of all of us and yet she has amazing skills which is surprising for a 15 year old. So Jaune tell me, are you afraid?"

Jaune nodded. "More than ever. I really want to help…but what if I just get in the way?"

Ivin turned back to Jaune and shook his head. "I don't believe there is such a thing. Everyone has a part to play in the grand scheme of things. Whether we deal with our part or change it to how we want it to be is all up to us. As long as you and your friends are safe and you were there to do what's right than that's what counts. I believe that is the nature of us as hunters. I believe that…is what makes a hero."

Jaune's eyes were wide as he just stared at Ivin. What he said was truly inspiring and he felt like he was right. Jaune had worked very hard ever since coming to Beacon. Since his transcripts were fake, he felt that giving 100% was only fair. Jaune smiled and then spoke. "Team JNPR accepts the mission to save the world from Freedom and stop Operation MoonLight."

Ivin smiled and raised his fist and Jaune did the same. They bumped fists and laughed after that. Ivin felt he made a stronger bond with Jaune and Jaune felt much better about all this and was also determined to be a great leader like Ratchet and Ruby.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: A Day To Remember

Based on the documents, Freedom wasn't planning anything for 4 months. Operation MoonLight was supposed too launch sometime during the Autumn season. So since nobody had to truly worry about Freedom, and tomorrow was the start of a three day weekend, everybody was planning on relaxing.

"Well you look like you're in a good mood." Anna said to Ratchet, who was humming his favorite song. "What's the occasion?"

Ratchet pulled out a sweater from his dresser. After looking over it he shrugged and stuffed it back in. "Well Anna my dear, I'm going on a date."

Anna glared at him. "Don't call me dear." Ratchet just waved his hand in the hair as he continued his search for a sweater. Anna looked at her bed. _I guess I could get some sleep. It's not like I'm doing anything today anyway._ She sighed and got ready to hop into bed when the door suddenly opened.

Ivin was wearing a fancy business outfit. "How do I look?" He asked Ratchet and Anna.

"Busy right now but with all that money you already know how good you look." Ratchet said as he pulled out another sweater, looked it over and then put it back in his dresser.

Anna looked at him from head to toe then smiled. "Like a loser."

Ivin sighed as Anna laughed at her own joke. "Well…Anna I was wondering if this loser could ask you out on a date?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, Anna stopped laughing and her eyes were wide open as she was taken aback by what he just said. Ratchet turned around and just looked at Ivin with a concerned expression, like he had gone mad. Nick, who had been in the bathroom brushing his teeth, came out and just shifted his gaze between Anna and Ivin.

For about two minutes, nobody said anything. Nobody even moved. It was like time had frozen after Ivin asked his question.

Regaining his grip on reality, Ratchet spoke. "You can't be serious right?"

Ivin looked at Ratchet with an eyebrow raised. "And what if I am?"

"You mean besides the fact it's Anna? And there are any number of girls in this school who would go out with you." Nick said from the bathroom. He was still brushing his teeth but he was staying in the doorway so he could witness what would happen next.

The three boys turned to Anna who was just looking at all of them with wide eyes. "W-what?!" The crack in her voice was very noticeable.

"So uh…yes or no?" Ivin asked.

 _Well…I'm not doing anything today…but it's Ivin! My teammate and friend! Well I'm not sure about friend but still my teammate!_ Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Anna sighed. "Whatever, I'm not busy anyway. W-where are we going?"

Ivin smiled. Ratchet caught himself on his dresser as he lost the support of his legs due to sheer shock. Nick almost chocked on his toothbrush. Anna was blushing slightly but she was sure none of them noticed. Ivin pulled out a pocket watch to check the time. "I was going to maybe take you to my tower. I have a business meeting soon but after we could get dinner?"

Anna's heart skipped a beat. _Food?! At a fancy place?! Oh my god…is there such a thing as a super expensive burger? I can't skip out on this. I must find out!_ Practically drooling at the thought, Anna nodded and got some fancy clothes of her own. "Let me get ready and we can head out." Pushing Nick out of the bathroom, she closed the door and locked it so she wasn't disturbed.

The room was quiet. There were no words. The three boys were just standing there. Then a knock on the door of their room startled Ratchet. "Shit! Ugh, where is it?!"

Nick looked at him furiously looking through all his sweaters. "Looking for the black one without a hood?"

Ratchet nodded and kept looking. Ivin just laughed and Nick sighed at him. Ratchet turned around. "Guys seriously, help."

"It's on." Nick said flatly.

"What? I don't have time for your games Nick." There was another knock on the door.

"It's on you already you fool." Nick said rolling his eyes. Ratchet looked down at his chest and arms and sure enough, it was on him.

Blushing, he looked at his feet. "Ah…I knew that." He rushed to the door and ignored Ivin's continued laughter. Opening the door, the three boys were met with what they thought was an angel.

"Hello. Are you ready?" Pyrrha asked Ratchet. She was in the same dress she had worn to the dance a few months back. But it looked so heavenly on her that the boys didn't know how to react. Ratchet was at a lost for words and quickly turned around.

Ivin looked at Ratchet who was mouthing some words. It wasn't hard to tell what it was, he had a nosebleed. Giving him a tissue, and a small loan of 300,000 lien, Ratchet wiped the blood and pocketed the money.

Turning around and staring into Pyrrha's beautiful bright green eyes, he gave her his trademark thumbs up and smile. "Of course! Sorry for the wait." He offered his arm and she took it. Turning his head one more time to Ivin and Nick, he winked and stuck out his tongue.

As the couple walked off Ivin just shook his head. "I'm happy for him. He seems rather happy nowadays. Wouldn't you agree?"

Nick shrugged. "I guess. I'm going to be in the workshop. See ya."

Nick hurried out of the room before Ivin could try to stop him. Sighing, the boy heard the bathroom door open and was stunned at Anna's appearance. She wore a beautiful black dress with matching stockings and very nice heels. He wondered how she got these items but assumed it was best if he didn't.

Anna noticed him staring and she blushed a bit. "W-what? Never seen a gorgeous girl before?"

Ivin chuckled. "I see you got that one from Liz." He checked the time and then offered his arm. "Our airship should be here soon."

 _He has his own airship?! I didn't know he was this rich._ Anna smiled and took his arm. "Well well, hope there are more surprises in store for tonight."

 _In a remote location in the mountains…_

"Stop."

 **"Nope."**

"Liz I swear to god if you don't stop…"

 **"Hehe. Swear all you want because I won't."**

Irene groaned as her partner kept playing with her Grimm arm. Since the claws were sharp, Liz assumed it would be great for reshaping the edges on her torture knives. She wasn't wrong either, the blades were sharper than ever.

Irene stared up at the night sky. "What time is it?"

Liz saw her beloved looking up and did the same. **"Around…8 or 9? Why?"**

"No reason. Hurry up and finish before I lose my patience." Liz just laughed as she continued sharpening the last few knives in her kit. Truth be told, Irene did have a reason for knowing the time. It was an old habit, like a couple other ones, that was coming back to her ever since the docks. _By now…they are all probably out in the city._ Irene looked down at Liz as she heard the small demonic girl humming. _Why is that familiar…_

Irene head throbbed as she remembered what the song was. "Liz please. Anything but that song."

Liz looked up confused. **"Shut up and dance? But I loooooooooove it! More than anyone!"**

Irene sighed. "I wouldn't say that. You done yet?"

Liz finished her final knife as soon as she said that and gave Irene a wicked smile. **"Almost."** She then got on top of Irene before she could ask what was next. Irene saw how much Liz was blushing and guessed what was coming next. **"We didn't get to play because of your injuries after our mission. But now you should be feeling better. Plus I get to be on you!"** Liz laughed wickedly before shoving her tongue in Irene's mouth.

Irene enjoyed it sure, but she hated being on bottom. Cursing herself for getting hit during the fight, she then gave in to her partners emotions.

 _In a fancy restaurant…_

Ratchet took Pyrrha to the same restaurant that they went too for their first real date. It always made Pyrrha a little uneasy coming to such expensive places but Ratchet had the money so it was ok. At least, she hoped it was his.

"Hmmm…" Pyrrha looked up to see Ratchet scratching his head as he looked at the menu. _Oh boy, I hope he's not having trouble._ Ratchet sighed and closed his eyes in frustration. _Yup. He is._

Pyrrha placed her hand on top of his, making him open his eyes and looking at her. "Everything ok?"

Ratchet smiled. "Of course. Why wouldn't it be?"

Pyrrha gave his hand a gentle squeeze. "Ratchet, are you sure?"

Ratchet sighed and dropped the smile. "I like taking you too nice places, but I really hate the food." Pyrrha smiled. She was thankful for Ratchet taking her to such nice places. Though he hated the food, he always had a good time with her here.

"Maybe you'd like to go for a walk in the park afterwards? It is beautiful tonight." Pyrrha asked him.

Ratchet looked outside. _Oh damn, she's right._ His eyes opened up wide as he realized this was his chance. Looking right into her eyes he gave her his award winning flirtatious smile. "Not as beautiful as you my love."

Pyrrha's face was a bright shade of red that perfectly matched her hair. _Huzzah! I have done it again!_ Ratchet gave himself a mental high five.

 _Inside Beacon workshop…_

"Master Nick?" Said a robotic voice.

"Yes Zeus?" Nick replied, not turning his gaze as he was fixing some of the gears on his hammer so it transformed more smoothly to its cannon form.

"I am quite curious, why are you not out with your companions? It is, how you humans say, legit? Is it not?"

Nick smiled at that. "True. But I'd rather be prepared for Freedom and Operation MoonLight than be relaxing with everyone. One can never be too careful."

"True enough sir. You are right as always." Zeus floated over to Nick's side and looked at the hammer. "Are the modifications going well?"

"Yes. How come you're a ball? You can change form whenever."

"I take pride in my round shape. I am an A.I. so this does not bother me. As you humans say, I would be...fat?"

"Probably not but who knows." Nick finished taking out an old gear and putting in a newer model of the same gear. "There. I think it's done. Now I need to see if I can adjust the weight…"

 _Outside in a fancy meadow..._

The wait wasn't too long for Ivin's meeting to be done. Anna had been bored but she could tell she stunned all the men at his job. _Boys love stockings. It's something they can't hate._ She smiled at that thought. Looking up at the shattered moon she thought about Operation MoonLight. _Man this is such a pain. I really hopee these kids don't mess up..._

Anna was kicked out of her thoughts as she heard footsteps and smiled a little. Turning around she saw Ivin walking up to her with two cones of ice cream. "Sorry for the wait."

Anna place her hand on the bench. "Don't worry it's ok. Sit down. It's a beautiful night tonight."

Ivin was a bit surprised but didn't show it. As he sat down and gave Anna her ice cream he noticed how she was acting. _Wow…she seems really happy. It's weird. She's usually so uptight but now she's having a good time._ "You look very nice today Anna."

Anna rolled her eyes. "For the tenth time Ivin, I know and thank you." Anna looked at him and smiled. "You're really sweet."

"Well I mean yeah. Someone on this team has to be." Both of them laughed at that and continued enjoying their ice cream. After a few more minutes he spoke again. "Sorry about dinner. I know I said I would take you someplace nice."

"Ah whatever. I love ice cream. Plus Neopolatin is my favorite." Anna said with a smile. For a quick second Ivin thought he saw her eyes change colors but it was probably just the moon playing tricks on him and shrugged it off.

 _Team RAIN dorm_

Nick finished his work and was back in the room. Getting some clothes ready, he headed towards the bathroom. And that's when he heard muffled sounds. Looking around the room he saw nothing. Nick opened the bathroom door to see a tied up and gagged Anna in the bathtub. Nick rushed to her side and got her out of the tub.

After taking out the gag in Anna's mouth, Nick hurried with the rope. "Anna what's going on?! I'm sure Ivin isn't into this shit!"

"Ugh that bitch!" Anna screamed.

"Who? Who did this?!" Nick asked more frantically after taking out one of the knots in the rope.

Anna gritted her teeth. "The same short bitch who took down Yang a few months ago!"

 _In a remote location in the mountains…_

Liz had fallen asleep next to Irene after almost two entire hours sex. Irene had to give her credit. For a tiny girl, she really had a lot of energy. Irene looked at the night sky as she just laid there on the ground. _Being on bottom isn't that bad…but it's still missing something._ Irene's thoughts went back into her old life. She was thinking of her crush, a certain small red head with silver eyes. _Ruby…I wonder how she's doing…_

Irene smiled as she remembered some of her old dirty thoughts of things she wished she did to the small huntress in training.

Then, almost at the exact same time, all the couples that were out on this beautiful starry night looked at the shattered glowing orb in the sky. All of them thinking the exact same thought. _A day to remember…_

* * *

 **A/N: So things are running smoothly for everyone, or so it seems. It has come to my attention that perhaps this story if not rated T and maybe an M. I'm not all too sure just yet but because of things that happen later on it may change.**

 **Anyway, if any of you have some questions about the members of team RAIN I'll answer them as best I can without giving up any spoilers. The next coming chapters I do believe are a bit slow so please bare with it. Trust me there's lots of action to come. Thanks for reading.**

 **\- CLOUD MARIO**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: A Special Place…

It had only been a day since everyone went out on their dates. Anna was able to explain everything to Ratchet and Ivin in the morning the day after. Though Ratchet had a hard time believing this, Ivin did state that the Anna he was with was completely out of character. Nick took a guess as to say that Neo has a crush on Ivin. Usually the boy would cringe or at least sigh deeply due to the fact that he may have a stalker but he just smiled. Ivin seemed to really enjoy himself on his date with Neo.

After the team talked it over, they decided it'd be best to just drop how she got into their room without them knowing. The bigger concern was what Neo was up too. She must know who each of them are and that brought up some questions as to how she knows them. Ivin also mentioned his scientists reported missing equipment at his facility. Nothing major except a voice changer which is probably why she sounded exactly like Anna. Nick took a mental note and still questioned how she sounded like Anna before she went to Ivin's corporation but didn't bring it up because he was getting a headache.

The team took it easy after that. Nick was still focused on his armor but did take some off time to go shopping for supplies with Jaune and Ruby. Surprisingly, Anna was with Weiss and Ren in the library trying to find books about Freedom or humans turning into Grimm. Ivin somehow got mixed into a situation with Blake and Nora. The details were fuzzy but it had something to do with barking and hissing.

Which leaves Ratchet, the leader of team RAIN. What could he possibly be doing right now? Well, Ratchet was sitting at a booth in a café in downtown Vale.

Sipping on his juice box, he stared at the pair of lilac eyes across from him. Yang and Ratchet seemed to be having a staring contest and it looked like Yang was winning. After another minute or two, Ratchet blinked and sighed in defeat as Yang pumped her fist in the air.

"Yeah! I told you I'm a champ at this!" Yang said, happy to have proven Ratchet wrong from his earlier comment of how he's the champ at staring contests.

"Curse these eyes that can't stay open." Ratchet said in defeat. After another second of silence, they both laughed. Ratchet had asked Yang if she was busy because he was bored and had nothing to do. Yang agreed but only if he bought lunch, which is why they are both here enjoying themselves in a café.

Yang took a sip of her drink before starting a conversation. "So lover boy, how's Pyrrha?" She gave him a wink so he got the message.

Ratchet remained calm and tried not to show signs of being a little embarrassed. "She's good. And no, not in bed. We haven't moved to that stage yet."

"Ah man come on! You gotta get there dude!" Yang said with a smirk.

"Ah yes, I forgot I was dating her because I wanted to tell you about all our sexual moments." He said with a smile.

Yang smirked. "Well I'm glad you care so much." Laughing at her own remark she took another sip from her drink before continuing. "So why aren't you with her?"

Ratchet shrugged. "She said she was busy. Plus I feel like it's been a while since the two of us had some alone time."

"Calm down there. You can't have both of us babes, you're not Ivin." Yang smirked at Ratchet and laughed when he just stuck his tongue out at her.

The two friends enjoyed their little lunch and after about another thirty minutes of bickering and laughing, Ratchet stared outside and looked up into the sky.

"Beautiful huh?" Yang asked him.

"Yeah…but I hope it will stay like that. I mean what if we fail?" Ratchet said sadly as his mind wandered into the dark thoughts of Freedom succeeding in their mission.

"Ratchet you worry too much." He looked over at Yang and saw her reassuring smile. "If anyone can stop them it's you guys. You've been through a lot and yet here you are, still standing and moving forward."

After saying this, Yang blushed a bit and shifted her gaze from Ratchet's. He smiled at her brief period of shyness. So…she still has feelings for me…I wonder what would've happened if we stayed together? Shaking his head, he looked at his scroll to see the time. "Yang would you like to do something else today?"

Yang looked up at him with a surprised expression. "Oh! Let's see…" Yang closed her eyes as she thought of something they should do. Then she had an idea. "I want to take you somewhere special. Come on."

"Lead the way my dear companion." He responded after paying for the meal.

 _Deep in the Emerald Forest..._

Ratchet was confused as to where Yang was leading him and she wouldn't give him an exact answer either. The pair had been walking for about an hour and he was trying to figure out why she'd want to come all the way out here in the Emerald Forest. Though from the smile she kept flashing him every few minute, it was a clear sign she was really excited to show him this special place.

After a few more twist and turns through the forest, Yang stopped walking and turned around to face Ratchet. It wasn't hot out but the both of them were a bit sweaty and Ratchet made a mental not to not look at the sweat that was on her breasts. I have a girlfriend. I have a girlfriend. I have a girlfriend. He told himself.

"Alrighty it's just pass these last few trees. You ready?" Yang asked him. She was so happy Ratchet swore he saw her happiness just coming off of her.

Ratchet stretched before replying. "Sure thing. Let's do it." Yang grabbed his hand and they both ran through the last few trees into a clearing. Immediately, Ratchet noticed the view. _Holy shit…_

The view was incredible and he was at a lost for words. Well, he was at first but he got used to the sight a few seconds later.

"Isn't it beautiful?" He turned to see Yang smiling wide and staring at the landscape with wide eyes that showed happiness and peace. "When I found this spot I just thought it was another view from a high point but at the right time of day and at the right season, it just looks straight out of a painting. I always come here when I'm troubled or need to clear my head."

Ratchet slowly looked over the area. The mountains in the distance, the many trees below and even the sky were all truly beautiful just as Yang said. And yet, he couldn't find out why he was feeling what she was feeling. "So why'd you bring me here? Sorry if that sounded rude."

Yang sighed and looked down at first before speaking. "I…have something I wanted to give you."

Ratchet raised an eyebrow. _A present? I don't think I've done anything for anyone lately have I?_ "Oh ok then. But why'd we need to come all the way out here for just that?"

Yang took a deep breath and in one swift motion she turned to face Ratchet and kissed him. At first she thought he might get mad but he didn't back away and neither did she. After a few more seconds she quickly ended the kiss and turned away from him, taking a few steps away. "That was what I wanted to give you.."

At first she didn't hear him respond. It was still quiet and it was clear he was gone. Guess it's better this way…

Suddenly she felt two arms wrap around her waist and her eyes were wide open as Ratchet laid his head on her shoulder. "Thanks I guess. This probably wasn't easy for you Yang. I'm not mad so don't worry. I was just surprised."

Yang placed her hands on his arms and didn't want this moment to end. Sadly, this wasn't a dream where this could keep going for a long time until she woke up. It had to end at some point. She was removed from her thoughts as she heard Ratchet chuckle slightly. She looked over her shoulder and stared at him. "What are you laughing at?"

Ratchet gave her a smile. It was a sad smile but not because of bad memories, because of good ones. "It's just…I forgot how warm you are. Your aura always made me feel at peace. You're like my little sunshine."

Yang blushed and smiled. "Oh stop it you. Plus I'm not even little." Ratchet hugged her tighter and was about to let go when she stopped him doing so. "Don't…"

Ratchet sighed. "Yang…"

"I know…" She said before he could continue. "I know we can't be together but please…can we just stay like this a bit longer?"

Ratchet knew she was probably holding back tears but he also knew she wouldn't admit that or cry in front of him. He stayed just like he was, enjoying her warmth. "As long as you need Yang."

The two of them stayed like that for another five minutes before finally heading out. As they were leaving, they failed to notice the red eyes that were watching them this entire time…

* * *

 **A/N: Ah, hello again. So I feel after this chapter I should explain some things about Ratchet's relationship with Yang.**

 **Ratchet, Yang, Anna, Irene and Nick all went to Signal together. Over time, Ratchet and Yang started forming romantic feelings for each other, though it was very hard to tell since they usually got in fights (mostly cause Ratchet pulled her hair or pushed her randomly)**

 **A couple months before this story begins, they split apart due to Ratchet having romantic feelings for Pyrrha. As of now, Yang still has some feelings for Ratchet.**

 **I feel as though even if Yang is a very strong character, both in the sense of physical and willpower, she's still a girl and maybe her feelings should be considered more.**

 **But I'm crazy like that so what do I know?**

 **\- CLOUD MARIO**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Choice

Ratchet had been…conflicted, to say the least. Lately all he could think about was the time him and Yang spent together in the Emerald Forest. On their way back they told each other that nobody else would find out for obvious reasons. Ratchet sighed and looked out his window. _Nearly a week later and I can't even think straight…_

Yang on the other hand was doing just fine. She was able to keep her emotions in check and acted like her usual self. Though she did seem to be a little uncomfortable around Pyrrha but that was to be expected since she did kiss Ratchet and wasn't telling her. She wasn't the only one who noticed Ratchet wasn't ok though. It was rather clear to all of Ratchet's friends that he was a bit conflicted about something. He was able to play it off by saying it was Freedom and Operation MoonLight but Blake, Ivin and Pyrrha didn't seem to believe him.

Pyrrha was getting concerned about Ratchet but he told her he was fine and she shouldn't worry. After another week, it was clear the young huntsman in training wasn't sleeping well. Probably at all since he was walking with Nora one day and suddenly fell on top of her due to sheer exhaustion. Nora had to carry him to the nurse but it was clear what the boy needed. Sleep.

After another week of not getting enough sleep and falling on top of Ruby, Pyrrha decided to take action. During lunch, she picked up Ratchet and walked off to his dorm room. Normally he would've protested and struggled but it was clear he had no power for such actions. After getting to his room, she closed the door and placed him on Ivin's bed.

"Pyrrha…" Ratchet said as he squinted his eyes so he could see her clearly. His vision was fading as he was on the verge of literally passing out. "What are you doing in my room?"

Pyrrha sighed. "Ratchet, honey, you haven't been sleeping well for the past three weeks. I want you to take some time now to get some rest. Sleep is important."

Ratchet sat up. "Thanks Pyrrha I appreciate it but I'm ok. This entire thing is just messing with me ok?" He gave her a smile so she knew he was ok but it was more like he was making the face of a man who drunk too much and had no idea what was going on.

Pyrrha smiled. "It's sweet to see you act tough but I'm worried about you Ratchet. Come on, I'll snuggle with you." She helped him under the covers and got under them with him. Mentally making a note that this is Ivin's bed, which wasn't hard to tell due to the nice sheets, she would have to apologize later and also not do anything sexual. Though in Ratchet's case, he probably can't even think about that right now.

The couple was face to face and their noses were touching as Ratchet sighed. "You know I can sleep alone."

"Oh I know. But most boys would love to have a pretty girl in their bed." Pyrrha teased.

Ratchet smiled and slowly shut his eyes. "True…but my bed is above Ivin's." With that he was fast asleep.

Pyrrha smiled and kissed him on the cheek. She hugged him as well so he could be extra warm. Listening to his slow, even breaths was making Pyrrha a bit sleepy as well. It's not like we both have a class next…I suppose a nap won't be too bad. Looking at Ratchet one more time Pyrrha smiled and closed her eyes. I really am happy to have you Ratchet.

 _Four hours later..._

Ratchet woke up due to a slow poking at his face. Annoyed, he slowly opened his eyes to see Ivin laying next to him reading a book. _What the fuck?_ Ratchet slowly raised his head and looked around the room. Anna was laughing up a storm because she woke him up with a stick she found outside. Nick had some clothes and went into the bathroom to take a shower.

"Morning Ratchet. Though I suppose now it would be good afternoon." Ivin said nonchalantly as he continued to read his book.

Ratchet sat up and grunted. "Why are you in my bed?"

"Correction, why are you in my bed? You and Pyrrha I should ask. She did apologize though so the question still stands." Ivin turned to look at Ratchet who in turn, looked around the room for Pyrrha.

"Where is she anyway?" He asked while slowly getting out of the bed.

Anna rolled her eyes. "Obviously not here you idiot. She left about an hour ago and told us not to wake you up but obviously I didn't listen."

"No shit. So what's the plan for today?" Ratchet got up and stretched his arms.

"Should we address the fact you haven't been sleeping or just believe your lie?" Ivin stated, putting his book down.

Anna gave Ratchet a puzzled look. "Lie? Ratchet you lied? How typical. At least Ivin doesn't lie." Anna winked at Ivin who just rolled his eyes at her comment. She wasn't wrong but it was uncalled for.

Ratchet sighed. "No idea what you're talking about. Please drop it."

"And if I don't?" Replied Ivin. Ratchet turned to him and glared. The tension between the two had filled the room with an awkward silence and Anna was curious as to how this would all play out.

Stepping out of the bathroom, Nick noticed the two boys staring each other down. "What's going on?"

"Good question Nick. Well Ratchet? Care to explain?" Ivin said. To Ratchet it sounded almost threatening then as a question.

Ratchet looked over at Nick and Anna. _Fuck me…I can't tell them…but Ivin seems fed up and I'd rather not fight a friend or three for that matter._ Defeated, Ratchet leaned against the wall and stared at the ground. "Three weeks ago when I was out with Yang, she kissed me. It's been bothering me ever since and I don't know if I should tell Pyrrha and I've been thinking about that kiss ever since and I can't fucking sleep so go ahead. Judge me, hate me, whatever. Just get it over with so I can continue with this feeling of hate at myself."

The room was silent which is something Ratchet didn't expect. He assumed everyone would get pissed and beat him or tell Pyrrha or something. But his three friends just stayed quiet. Anna coughed to try and break the silence but it didn't really help. Finally Ivin stood up from his bed and walked in front of Ratchet, not saying a word.

"Nick. Anna. You two should leave. Me and Ratchet need to talk." Ivin said as calmly as possible. Anna was about to protest but Nick shook his head and pushed her out the door. Now that they were alone Ivin just glared at Ratchet.

Ratchet was getting a little nervous. _Is he pissed off at me? I guess that would make sense but I didn't think Ivin got mad._ "Ivin?"

"Do you love her?"

"What?"

Ivin raised his hand and smacked Ratchet as hard as possible. Ratchet swore he heard a ringing in his ear and his face stung and burned a bit. "I said, do you love her?" He said more fierce than the first time.

"W-who Yang? What are you talking about!" Ratchet responded.

"Pyrrha you idiot!" Ivin yelled at his friend. Raising his fist, he surrounded it in fire and held it in front of Ratchet. "How can you be so stupid sometimes?!"

 _It would appear…he is very pissed._ Ratchet eyed his friends flaming fist. _It'd be best to not get hit by that._ "Ivin…I just…"

"You what?! You don't know what to do?! Sure you and Yang had a thing but it's over now. You said it yourself, you love Pyrrha and it's obvious she loves you! So stop thinking about all this the wrong way and just purpose!"

Ratchet stared wide eyed at him like he'd gone insane. "I beg your pardon."

Ivin opened up his flaming hand to reveal an extremely fancy ring. "Marry her Ratchet."

 _W-what the fuck is going on?_ "Ok hold on, I'm confused. Aren't you pissed off? Like I kissed Yang and I'm having second thoughts about being with Pyrrha. Also how'd you do that?"

Ivin took a step back and relaxed. "Yeah sorry. I was just showing off and wanted to make things dramatic for once." Ratchet rolled his eyes. _Because you know, our lives aren't dramatic enough._ "You said Yang kissed you. Technically you aren't at fault. Neither is she. I'm sure she's just having a rough time dealing with this. But it's ok. I think you did the right thing by trying to make her feel better."

Ratchet still looked a little confused but he understood a bit of what was going on. "I'm sorry. I have been letting this get to me. Yang is doing just fine so I need to shape up as well. I'm going to let Pyrrha know what happened."

Ivin smiled and went back to his bed. "Good to hear. Sorry about smacking you. Though I did say I wanted to make things dramatic." Ivin opened up his book and started where he left off. "Good luck."

Ratchet said his thanks and went out to go find Pyrrha.

 _In the weight room..._

Ratchet ran around Beacon until he found Ren. Ren told him Pyrrha was talking with Yang. Looking at the time, Ratchet figured there could only be one place that Yang would be right now. Ratchet headed towards the weight room. After getting to the entrance he heard the voices of two girls inside. _Oh god…_

Slowly entering the room, he saw Pyrrha and Yang talking near the punching bags. Ratchet sighed as a bad memory floated into his mind. _The irony that all three of us are here again…_

Ratchet walked up to the ladies and once he was in earshot to hear them clearly they noticed him walking up to them. Yang looked at him nervously while Pyrrha gave him a concerned look. It also looked like she was holding back tears. Pyrrha walked over to him but didn't say anything at first.

Then she spoke. "Ratchet. Yang told me something…but I wasn't sure if it was true."

Ratchet looked over at Yang who mouthed 'Sorry' at him. Looking back at Pyrrha he decided there was no point in lying. "Pyrrha. Yang and I kissed three weeks ago. I should've told you this when we got back but I've been conflicted because of what we did and that's why I've been out of it for the past three weeks. I've been lost in thought about some stuff and I'm sorry."

Pyrrha was shocked at the news but she also knew, deep in her heart that it was probably true. Back before Ratchet was committed to Pyrrha he had been a bit of a playboy and flirted whenever he had the chance. She turned to Yang and she also apologized for what she did. Turning back to Ratchet she hugged him and kissed him on the cheek.

"I…can't say I'm not upset. But I'm not furious. And I do accept your apology. But don't ever do something like this again please." Pyrrha meant this towards both of them and they both understood.

Ratchet took a deep breath. _Now probably isn't the best time but…I don't know what would be._ Reaching into his pocket, he realized he never grabbed the ring.

"Ratchet! You forgot this!" Ivin called out to him from the entrance of the room. Ratchet turned around and rushed over to him. Taking the ring, he said his thanks and turned around and made his way to Pyrrha. _Right so how does this work? I get on one knee?_ Ratchet was looking at the ground and clenched his fist with the ring in it.

As he made a motion to get on one knee, the loudspeaker suddenly came to life. "Would team RAIN please report to professor Ozpin's office. Thank you." Glynda's voice cut off from the box.

Ratchet turned to Ivin but by the confusion on his face, it was clear he had no idea why. _Anna I swear to god…_ putting the ring in his pocket he gave Pyrrha a quick kiss before heading out with Ivin.

 _Strange…_ Pyrrha thought to herself. _It looked like he was holding something…_

 _Ozpin's office..._

Team RAIN met up at Ozpin's office and when they entered he was alone. He was usually with Glynda but she probably had other matters to attend too.

"Ah team RAIN. Please, have a seat. We have much to discuss." Ozpin gestured to the four chairs in front of his desk. As the team went to sit in the chairs, he poured himself some coffee. Taking a sip he slowly lowered his cup and leaned forward on his desk. "Operation MoonLight."

The entire team tensed up and none of them responded for a few minutes. They all tried to play off confused expressions but it didn't seem to be working. Though to be honest, Ozpin had a very impressive poker face.

Nick gave a nervous laugh to break the silence. "What's that? Sounds like something out of a movie."

Anna nodded. "Yeah seriously. I didn't know you liked movies professor."

"Only the classics my dear." Ozpin took another sip from his cup before continuing. "I'm sure you all have your hands full but I'd like to know why none of you brought this to my attention sooner."

"Brought up what professor?" Ivin asked, doing his best to sound confused.

"Freedom and Operation MoonLight." Ozpin said slowly. The entire team gulped as they knew there was no point in hiding it from him since he knew. "In case you're wondering, it was Nora who unknowingly ratted you out."

Ratchet face palmed. Of course it was Nora. "Listen teach, we didn't want to but we couldn't let you stop us from pursuing this. Its…personal to say the least."

Ozpin nodded. "I'm aware. Irene is somehow involved and you all saw this as your problem?" Ozpin looked over at Ivin. "So mr. Kekovich why are you involved? Irene has no business with you."

Ivin shifted his gaze to the floor. "I've thought that at times. Irene and I have no connection whatsoever. However, my team needs me so I'll be there to help. More importantly, everyone I know here is a friend that I care about. It wouldn't be right to let her run around with Freedom to cause harm to them and even the people of Vale, let alone all of Remnant."

Ozpin smiled. "Said like a true gentleman. So Ratchet, tell me, what are you going to do now that I know about tall this?"

Ratchet thought carefully before answering. He didn't want Ozpin to take them off of this. He believed that his team could handle this. Plus with the added support from RWBY and JNPR, the twelve of them could possibly have a high chance at success in stopping Operation MoonLight and hopefully taking down Freedom. Ratchet stood up and slammed his hands on Ozpin's desk, looking him straight in the eyes.

"The hell is wrong with you Ratchet?!" Nick yelled out. Ivin also seemed surprised as well but remained calm. Anna was half asleep so she didn't really grasp what was happening.

Ratchet spoke all while keeping his eyes locked onto Ozpin's. "Team RAIN, RWBY and JNPR will take on the organization known as Freedom and stop the success of Operstion MoonLight to save the people of Remnant. Nobody will stop us from doing what's right...from doing what we signed up for. Protecting not just one another, but also the people of this world from the forces of evil that would send them into chaos."

Nobody made a sound after Ratchet gave his answer. The only noise was the sound of the massive ticking sound from the clockwork's above them all. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Ozpin spoke. "Well said Ratchet. You will make a great huntsman in the future. I do hope you are also prepared for what will happen if someone were to fall in battle?"

Ratchet nodded. "I take full responsibility."

"Excellent. Now…I suppose that concludes our conversation. You may remove your hands off my desk and go back to your daily routine. I'll be expecting good news in the coming months." Ozpin grabbed his cup and spun his chair around, facing the window.

Ratchet turned and walked to the elevator, his team followed close behind. But Ratchet had one thought going through his head the entire time. Or perhaps not a thought, but a promise. _Nobody will die. I will be the shield that protects my friends._

* * *

 **A/N: So...I know I said things would heat up in the coming chapters (I think I said that) but yeah sorry if things are moving a bit slow right now.**

 **Dont worry, there's plenty of action but it takes time to set it all up you know? Why rush it? So I hope you all enjoy team RAIN. It's actually a funny story on how these characters even exist.**

 **You see kids, once upon a time my little squad of friends played a game of D &D (Dungeons and Dragons) it was fun. That was two years ago. So throughout the two (or maybe three) years, we've made a bunch of AU D&D games. Fairy tail, Pokemon, Naruto, Brave frontier, Infamous, and RWBY.**

 **In our RWBY D &D, team RAIN is our team name and the dungeon master sets up the rest of the storyline. This story is not canon to our little journeys though.**

 **Anyway thanks for reading and if you'd like to know more about what team RAIN has been through in canon game (not to be confused with the actual RWBY game and the actual show) let me know. I'd love to share those stories.**

 **\- CLOUD MARIO**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Nick And Ruby

Today was an odd day. Nick was with Ruby in the on a mission in the mountains near the edge of Vale's walls. It was not a serious mission, just a quick clear out of some Grimm that seemed to be causing a concern due to their growing numbers. Ruby was hyped the entire time as the two made their way to the cave. Nick on the other hand didn't want to be here. He was looking forward to sleeping in but Yang insisted. She was busy and couldn't go with her little sister.

Nick felt like he got the short straw today. Everyone was busy but him so it was automatically his responsibility to look after the small

huntress. Though Ruby was capable so it's not like he had to worry."Nick aren't you pumped!? We are going on a mission!" Ruby asked her friend with clear enthusiasm in her voice.

Nick shrugged. "I would hardly call it a mission. It's just a clear out, nothing serious." He looked over at Ruby who was looking at him.

Staring…

Staring…

…aaaaaand more staring…

Nick looked away before she got the wrong idea and thought he was gonna do some thing perverted. It's not like him and Ruby weren't friends. It was just the fact that they never had alone time like this so it was a bit awkward.

Ruby was a bit concerned that she was making Nick uncomfortable and decided to try and talk to him some more. "S-so uh, how's your armor coming along?"

Nick smiled at the small girls curiousness. "Very well. I think it'll be up and ready for any challenge! Hell, I bet it could give Yang a hard fight."

Ruby smirked. "I don't know Nick. Not even Ratchet has beaten her and you know how he is."

"Stupid, ignorant, stupid, stuck in his own world, stupid. Am I forgetting something? I said stupid right?" Nick counted on his fingers how many times he would need to repeat the word before getting his point across.

Ruby gave him a light slap on his arm. "Oh stop being a meanie! He's smart and nice. Juuuuuust needs to learn how to stop getting up when Yang beats him down." The two laughed at the fact that it was true.

Several minutes passed and the two friends bonded as they shared stories of the adventures their teams had. Ruby was highly interested in Nick's stories since they were all so…random. Most of them sounded like they were right out of a movie or comic book.

After walking for a few more minutes they found the entrance to the cave they had been searching for. Nick got his hammer ready and Ruby opened up Crescent Rose.

"Alrighty little red," Nick began. "I'll go in first and you come in after ok? This way if there are a lot of them I can lead them out here instead of us getting ambushed. If there's not a lot then we can get them."

Ruby thought about it for a second and smiled. "Sounds good to me!"

Nick walked to the cave entrance and looked inside. As far as he could see, it was clear. No red eyes could be seen in the darkness of the cave but also no sounds of growling or even sleeping Grimm could be heard. Nick made his way into the cave and kept his hand on the wall so he knew where he was once he couldn't see. Walking down deeper into the darkness, Nick was starting to feel a presence that somewhat resembled an Ursa. He thought it'd be best to turn back and inform Ruby before continuing forward and that's what he did.

Making his way to the exit, Nick felt the presence getting closer and at a fast pace. Turning around, he was met with a huge Beowulf claw and was picked up and thrown outside the cave.

Ruby's eyes shot open when she saw Nick fly out of the cave and landed near her. She rushed to his side. "Nick?! Nick are you ok?!"

Nick quickly got up and saw there was some blood on his arm. He wiped it away and realized it wasn't his since there was no scratch. "Ruby I think we got an Ursa in there but I was thrown out by a Beowulf so get ready."

Ruby and Nick prepared their weapons and stood at the ready as the Grimm came out of the cave. To their surprise it was just one and it wasn't a grim. The figure was wearing a long black cloak with the hood covering their face and the Beowulf claw was the only visible part of the body they could see.

"I don't know why you're here but I'll cut you down just like the rest." Said the figure. The voice was female and Nick swore he heard it before. His eyes were wide open as he turned to make sure Ruby didn't move towards her.

Ruby was just standing there. She didn't even seemed like she was breathing. It was clear she was in a state of shock. She bit her bottom lip as tears were forming in her eyes and her voice, though small and fragile, was heard by the figure. "I-Irene…?"

* * *

 **A/N: Well now, it would appear things are shaking up a bit since Irene has entered the stage once more eh? Ruby and Irene were close in the past, one could even say best friends but then she like you know, died during the Grimm invasion.**

 **Awkward.**

 **So sorry about how short it I do believe this is the last short chapter of the story. The others are long and some just get longer and longer.**

 **Im also working a a new fic called Arkana. It won't be a RWBY fic though. I kinda just got inspired to do it through another RWBY story and then the entire world just started to come together in my head. I may put it up when I get more work done.**

 **Thanks for stopping by and reading this and stuff.**

 **\- CLOUD MARIO**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: To Love A Rose

Irene turned towards the small red head and she slowly realized who it was. _Ruby? W-what is she doing here?! Shit, I need to get out of here!_ Irene turned to the side and glanced at her two former friends. "I don't know who that is and I have no time to waste on you two." Looking at Ruby one more time, Irene hid her claw under her cloak and started running deep into the woods.

"W-wait!" Ruby cried out as she tried to give chase but Nick grabbed her arm.

"Ruby stop! We can't chase her!" Nick was desperately trying to keep Ruby from going since it would just cause more trouble if they went after her.

Ruby struggled against Nick and tried getting out of his grip. "Let me go! I need to go get her! Don't you want our friend back?!"

Nick was shocked at her last words and let his guard down. Ruby was quick to notice and tugged her arm out of his grip and activated her semblance to get away from him and get closer to Irene. Nick cursed himself and gave chase immediately.

As Nick tried following the scattered roses across the forest floor, he had one thought going through his mind. _Irene please don't do this…_

 _Deep in the woods…_

Irene ran through the woods dodging trees and bushes as she tried to make great distance between herself and Nick and Ruby. She wasn't the same as she was before when she was fully human. Irene was now stronger and faster since she was now part Grimm but even she knew she wasn't fast enough to outrun Ruby.

 _I can't keep this up forever. I need to end this now._ Irene came to a clearing and quickly jumped into a tree and waited for the speedy red head to come. _I can't outrun her but I sure as hell can sense where she'll be._ Irene closed her eyes and focused her senses so she could feel Ruby's aura. Finding it rather easily, she got her claw ready and made it sharper than usual. One swipe is all it would take.

Irene's left eye was now blood red like any normal Grimm. She jumped up and out of the tree and landed directly on top of Ruby. Her timing was perfect and the small girl had no idea what had just happened since she's never been caught before. Irene turned her around so they were face to face.

They stared into each other's eyes and Ruby's was filled with fear and tears were clouding her vision at the sight of her old friend. Irene opened her mouth with a wide smile and Ruby saw the sharp fangs that replaced some of her teeth.

Ruby's struggled to get out from under Irene. "Irene d-don't! It's me R-Ruby! Your friend!"

Irene just laughed. "What friend?" Irene raised her Grimm hand slowly and Ruby's eyes widened when she saw how sharp the claws were and started to panic.

"Irene please!" Ruby screamed, but she wasn't getting through to her and Irene was about to kill her. "Please! Don't do this!"

Irene whispered into Ruby's ear. "Time to die." And then she brought her claw down.

"I LOVE YOU IRENE!" Screamed Ruby before she closed her eyes and prepared herself.

It was quick. There was no pain. Ruby felt…at ease. Like she was in a flowery meadow and with clear skies and the warmth of the sun on her body. At least that's what she thought. But then reality set in. She felt tremendous pain coming from her shoulder which was odd. She was stabbed in the chest. Opening her eyes, Ruby saw Irene on top of her with one eye completely red and the other her natural eye color. Her normal eye was filling up with water and her bottom lip was quivering. It was obvious she was struggling to try and not cry.

Ruby turned her head and saw that Irene's claw had went into her left shoulder and not her chest. The small girl was confused at first but then it all made sense as to what happened. _D-did I get through to her at the last second…?_ Ruby tried speaking but the pain wasn't helping. "I-Irene?"

Irene closed her eyes and started crying. "R-Ruby! I'm so s-sorry!"

Ruby smiled and placed her right hand behind Irene's head and pulled her into her chest. "It's o-ok…I'm here…"

The two stayed like that until Irene was done crying. Ruby didn't mind the wait. She was just glad she had her friend back.

 _Some time after that…_

"You ok Ruby?"

Ruby nodded as she patted her bandaged shoulder. "Stings when I touch it but I'm sure it's ok. I mean you didn't go that deep." _Although it did hurt like hell heh..._

Irene sighed. _What the fuck is wrong with me…How could I almost kill Ruby like that?_ She looked down at her Grimm arm. _Why couldn't I just have died back then…_

"Does it hurt?"

"Hm?" Irene looked at Ruby who was staring at her claw.

"Does it hurt you sometimes? Or does it just feel like, I don't know, armor?"

Irene looked at her arm again and frowned. "I don't know. What I do know is that because I'm part Grimm I sometimes get these moments of rage or bloodlust and just lose control. Like earlier. I almost killed you…"

Ruby scooted over to get closer to Irene and hugged her. Something Irene was not used to. "It's ok. You didn't kill me and it wasn't you at the time and that's what matters. Though I think Yang will be pissed off about this injury."

Irene chuckled. "Blame Nick. Then he will blame Ratchet. Ratchet will blame Anna and all three of them will get beat up."

Ruby laughed. "How would you know?"

"Did you forget? We all grew up together and fought together. I know them like the back of my…" Irene looked at her hands. "…my right hand."

Ruby giggled a bit and slowly shifted her gaze to Irene's arm. "Um…could I t-touch it?" She asked Irene, pointing at her Grimm arm.

Irene hesitated at first because she hated people touching it. But she never liked saying no to Ruby so she allowed it. Ruby slowly but surely placed her hand on Irene's arm. It was black and furry like a Grimm's body and it had bone on it as well. The palm was far bigger than Ruby's own and it was weird. To be this close to a Grimm body part without it attacking back or disappearing was strange.

After another minute or two, Ruby plucked a single hair from the arm and Irene flinched. "Ow! Why'd you do that?"

Ruby stared at the hair until it slowly faded from existence. "Sorry. I was just curious if it would fade like normal Grimm do. Your half Grimm and half human so I thought it would be different."

Irene thought about that. _Huh. Never thought of it that way. I'm more of a monster than anything._ Irene thought of what happened earlier and shuddered at what she almost did to the girl she loved most. Then she remembered. "Hey…Ruby."

"Hm?" The red head looked up at Irene. "What's up?"

Irene slightly blushed. "D-did you mean what you said earlier?"

Ruby looked confused at first but then remembered and her face showed a light shade of red. "O-oh that. Well…I mean…"

Irene gave an irritated sigh. _Of course she didn't…she was probably just scared she was going to die. Well…it did save her so job well done._ "No need to finish. I get it. It's fine."

Irene started to get up to try and leave but Ruby held her arm tight. "N-no! Wait!"

Irene turned and looked at the small girl. "Ruby it's ok. These days it's better for me to be alone anyway."

Ruby's grip loosened a bit. "But…I do love you. I always have."

Irene's eyes widened at the confession. _S-she…she loves me? She loves me!_ Irene smiled and had tears form in her eye as she picked up the small girl and gave her a big hug. "Ruby I love you too! I always have and always will!"

Ruby didn't expect Irene's reaction. Especially the bear hug. "W-well I'm happy you feel the s-same."

Irene put Ruby down and looked into her eyes. Ruby caught her breath and looked into Irene's. Irene pulled the her closer with her Grimm arm and slowly the two of them were getting closer and closer to each other.

The two girls lips were now inches way from each other. Irene wanted this badly. She'd dreamt of this moment for years. Well not exactly like this since she was half Grimm but it was as close as she was gonna get. "Ruby…"

Ruby stared into Irene's eyes. Even though one was a Grimm eye, she could see past it. She could see the human part of her deep down in there. Ruby could also see the burning desire that Irene was holding back from unleashing on the small girl. But Ruby had that same look in her eyes. "Irene…"

The two girls slowly closed their eyes as their lips met in an embrace that both have been waiting an eternity for. It lasted a long time and Irene went as far as to force her tongue into Ruby's mouth. It was shocking at first but slowly Ruby did the same.

After the two had an almost ten minute make out session, they broke apart to catch their breath. A small string of saliva was between their lips and both were breathing heavy. The hot air hitting each other's faces was making the two girls want each other more and more.

 _Oh my god._ Irene thought as she felt butterflies going wild in her stomach. _If we continue there's no telling what my Grimm half will do…but it feels to good!_

Ruby gave a shy smile. "W-well now I can tell the girls about my first kiss."

Irene smiled. "I don't know if that's a good idea. But then again who cares?" Irene and Ruby leaned in for another make out session when they suddenly heard a voice.

"Ok, ok no. Stop. That's enough." Said a male voice from the bushes.

The two girls quickly looked over and Irene pulled up her hood to hide her face and hugged Ruby closer in case it was a threat. Luckily, for Ruby anyway, it was Ratchet.

"Ratchet?!" Both girls said in unison.

"Yes. It is I. Your lord and savior. Now bow before me lesbos." He laughed at his little act and the two girls glared at him. "Heh. Oh come on that was funny."

"Anyway," said a second voice from the bushes. Ivin stepped out, taking caution as to not get his clothes ripped. "I believe it's time we retrieve Ruby before Yang blows up your cheeseburger."

Ratchet clenched his fist. "Damn that women and her persuasion skills."

"More like damn your stupidity." Said Anna as she came out of the bushes while dragging Nick's almost lifeless body.

"What happened!" Ruby asked with concern. Irene just snickered and Ratchet glared at her.

"Our dear friend here was chasing you by following your rose trail. Though you can imagine that with him always using his armor in battles and exploration, he's not used to actually using his own legs for running marathons. He called Yang and Yang called Ratchet. Ratchet was about to eat a burger but Yang said she'd have Weiss freeze it and then she'd blow it up right in front of him. So here we are, worried sick about you, and you are trying to have sex in the woods." Everyone looked at Ivin who in turn had the same straight face as always.

"Ivin even I have to admit that was a bit savage." Anna commented.

"Noted. Now can we go?" Ivin said gesturing towards Ruby to come along.

"B-but what about Irene?" Ruby said as she looked between her and Irene and team RAIN.

Ratchet sighed. "Honestly not in the mood to deal with her right now. We have bigger problems."

"Oh?" Irene said, raising an eyebrow. "And what would those be?"

"Well since you aren't on the team or part of our inner circle, I don't believe I need to tell you." Ratchet and Irene glared at each other before Ruby stepped between them.

"Can you two please just stop?" Ruby took a step forward and got between the two. "Irene may not be the same but she's still there Ratchet! And Irene, I know your Grimm half probably has some negative effects on your speech and attitude but you need to learn how to control it." Ruby pouted as she looked between the two.

Ratchet sighed. "We are on different sides Ruby…"

Irene placed a her hand on Ruby's shoulder. "He's right Ruby. It's not that easy."

Ruby frowned. "Then make it easy. Anythings easy if you put your mind to it."

Irene smiled at the young girls ignorance. Adorable as always. "Ruby go. I'll be fine. We can talk some other time ok? But I have things that need to be done." Ruby turned around and gave Irene one more kiss before taking a few steps back. Irene winked at Ruby before heading off into the forest.

"Ugh, this is so much trouble." Ratchet said scratching his head.

Ivin turned around and began walking back. "We have to deal with her at some point."

Anna huffed as she dragged Nick through the bushes again. "We can deal with that bridge when we get there or whatever the saying is."

Ruby followed her friends slowly and stopped to turn around and look in the direction Irene had gone.

Irene was watching Ruby from the trees and was about to continue moving when she placed her hand on her lips and smiled. She kissed her love and had never felt so happy. Shaking her head, she made sure to get serious before continuing forward.

As if they were connected by fate due to their love, the two girls simultaneously had the same thought.

 _Even if we are on opposite sides…I'll always love you..._


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Change Of Plans Along With Dark Secrets

Irene was sitting in a chair looking like a school girl who had never been in the principal's office before and was scared as to what would happen. Looking up at the man behind the desk she could tell he was furious.

"Where is the dust Irene?" He asked her. Though to Irene, it sounded more like a growl.

Irene tried to remain calm but the way he was looking at her wasn't helping. "I told you sir. I…got distracted by something from my old life."

"Typical." The man said as he stood up and walked across the room. He stared out of the window looking down at all the guards hard at work for their operation. "Tell me. What is Freedom?"

"I'm sorry?" Irene raised an eyebrow at the his question.

The man clenched his fists and breathed slowly. "You test my patience girl. Now answer my question."

Irene thought quickly of what freedom stood for. "T-the well being o-of everyone a-"

"Foolish girl!" The man turned around and got right in Irene's face. He was pissed and she could see the fire in his eyes. "Freedom is what we are. Freedom is what we will bring. To bring about the destruction of the beings who destroyed this world first. We are going to bring about an end to all life besides Grimm and ourselves. Then we shall coexist and begin a new age. An age where Freedom is not a term nor a group. But a way of life."

Irene was at a lost for words. Before she would have agreed to everything he just said and loathed in the idea that all life would die. Yet lately she has been feeling different. She honestly believes not only is her boss crazy, but all of Freedom is insane. _Did…did they change me? Was Ruby right? Am I still the Irene that I was before?_

 **"Nope. You'll never be that boring girl ever again babe."** Irene jumped as she suddenly heard Liz's demonic voice right next to her.

"Liz? What are you doing here?" Irene asked the small girl.

Liz slowly strolled about the office and finally stopping to sit in the chair behind the desk. **"Oh nothing. I just felt your mental state go down a bit so I showed up. Is that a problem?"**

Irene looked down at the floor to avoid her gaze. "N-no…could we get back on track sir?"

"Of course." The man said as he was now looking at some files on another table across from his bookshelf. "Operation MoonLight begins in 1 month."

Liz and Irene both seemed surprised by this sudden change of plans. "What do you mean one month?!" Irene yelled out. Liz was also bothered by the moved timeline but didn't say anything.

"I mean what I said idiot." The man said as he leaned against the table. "Everything will be set in one months time. Nothing can stop us."

" **RAIN could still be a problem. They've seemed pretty busy lately. Our scouts also say Ivin has made contact with Neo a few weeks ago."** Liz chimed in.

"I'm well aware of that. But Neo is of no concern. Plus it was only once. They haven't been together since that day, therefore we shall not dwell on it." The man glanced at his watch and gathered the scattered files on the table. "Get out. I have something I must do."

Irene nodded slowly and began walking out with Liz right behind her. As they left the room, Liz grabbed Irene's arm and held on tight. Irene flinched a bit at the sudden contact and Liz noticed.

Raising an eyebrow and looking up at her beloved, Liz asked her a question. " **What's up with you? You've been acting strange ever since you got back from your mission in the woods. Did something happen?"**

Irene shook her head. _I can't let Liz find out about Ruby. God only knows what she'll do._ "I'm fine. Just…there were a couple hunters but nothing I couldn't handle."

 **"I see. Well alrighty then."**

The two continued walking until they were outside and looked across the field to see all the guards working hard to get Operation MoonLight ready. It was incredible how fast they all were at making ginormous glyphs. Though Irene didn't fully understand what these glyphs were for, she guessed they were probably critical to the success of the operation.

"Liz…I have a question." Irene asked the small girl who was humming her favorite song.

Liz sighed. **"Just when I was getting to the good part too. Anyway, what is it?"**

Irene bit her lip. _I hope this isn't a problem. But I need answers._ "Do…do you know the boss's name? I've been with him ever since he saved me after I changed and yet I have no idea what his name is. Everyone just says sir or boss."

Liz frowned and looked at the ground before answering. **"Can't say I don't blame you for your curiosity. I have no idea either. I've always wondered that same question. However there's a rumor going around amongst the elite guards. Apparently he has some history with Ratchet and he's doing this because of him."**

 _Ratchet?! What does he have to do with this?_ Irene gave Liz a puzzled look. "Wait but our mission was to give team RAIN the plans so they could take the bait and come at us right?" Liz nodded. "Yet the boss is doing this for Ratchet?"

Liz shook her head. " **No babe. Not _for_ Ratchet. He's doing this _because_ of him. Apparently Ivin has something to do with it as well."**

 _What the fuck is going on? Ivin and Ratchet have history with the boss?_ Irene shook her head and her voice showed clear signs of disbelief. "This makes no sense. Ivin didn't join the team until a week or two after I 'died'. I grew up with Ratchet and he's been weird and crazy and stupid but he never knew anyone like this guy." Irene sighed and looked up at the sky. "There has to be something to give us an answer…"

 **"Weeeeeell…"** Liz started. Irene nudged her shoulder so she could continue. " **His second in command also doesn't know anything about his name. Though she also has a few theories. The most popular one amongst the elite are that the boss wants to kill Ratchet because he escaped from him before way back in the day and didn't die."**

Irene was starting to lose hope on a clear answer. "Now this makes no sense. Ratchet has never been in danger until after we all became a team at Beacon."

Liz smiled. **"Now hold on, who said I was done? She said that the boss's name is…"**

Irene stared at Liz with wide eyes waiting for her to continue. When she didn't, she got frustrated. "Is what dammit?!"

Liz giggled. " **I love it when you're angry. Anyway, his first name is unknown but apparently his last name is,"** Liz looked around to make sure nobody was near by to hear them. Though it was clear, she motioned for Irene to come closer so she could whisper in her ear just for extra safety. **"Kekovich."**

* * *

 **A/N: And so the mystery behind Operation MoonLight is slowly taking shape. The boss's last name is Kekovich? What's his relationship with the Kekovich family? Does this mean he knows Ivin? What's this mean for Ratchet?**

 **Revelations that lead to more questions than answers are so much fun.**

 **So enjoying the twists and turns of the story? No? Ah, no worries, I can't blame you. It ain't fantastic but I feel a did a pretty good job on the madness and shock factor later on.**

 **I mean...what? I didn't say anything. Peace!**

 **\- CLOUD MARIO**


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12: Fiery Showdown

Amongst the halls of Beacon Academy there were many happy and well matched couples. Though none of them looked quite as good as these two particular students. The most handsome boy to ever transfer to this school and arguably the most gorgeous and fierce fighter in the school were walking down the halls to the sparring room and they caught the attention of every student on their way.

Yang and Ivin casually strolled along to the sparring room. Not holding hands. Not giving each other cute nicknames. Nope, none of that, just walking normally and talking about what was about to go down.

Yang smiled at all of the on looking girls who were giving her death glares for getting the boy of their dreams. Even though she wasn't dating him, it was funny to act like it so she could see the fury in the other girls eyes.

Ivin on the other hand was only pretending to date Yang so none of the girls would crawl over him asking for dates, scroll numbers, sexual favors or even to return his toothbrush. He's had to buy at least six spares in the last week. It also helped that Yang's presence was enough to ward off most people. With the added bonus of them acting like they were together, Ivin wasn't bothered by anybody. Though it wasn't really hard to fool more than half the students in this school. Just walking with someone of the opposite sex makes it seem like you're together. Strange yes, but it works.

"So Yang," Ivin began as he checked his pocket watch to make sure they weren't running late. "You must be excited about this match."

Yang pounded her fists together and cracked her knuckles. "Hell yeah! Yang Xiao Long vs Ivin Kekovich vs Ratchet…Ratchet! It's gonna be epic since we're all fire based and can take a hell of a beating!"

Ivin smiled at Yang's enthusiasm. "I suppose it will be good practice as well since we do have a moon to stop from falling on us. Plus I did have a new skill I wanted to test out."

"Oooh so the fourth year is pulling out the big guns." Yang said with a smirk.

"I wouldn't say that it's that big but the damage may be enough to even keep you down." Ivin said with a smirk of his own.

As the two neared the entrance to the sparring room, they could see Ratchet in the arena already. He was doing some push-ups with Pyrrha and Blake sitting on top of him.

"Yo Ratchet. What're you doing?" Yang called out to him once the two entered.

Ratchet looked up and smiled. "Ah, hello my friends. Just getting a little warmed up. Though it will get a bit heated in a few minutes so maybe I shouldn't have."

"Nonsense! Tire yourself out loser!" Anna yelled from the stands. She was sitting next to the rest of team RWBY and JNPR along with Nick who was just shaking his head at her comment.

Ivin threw his jacket to the side which was immediately caught by a group of girls that had been following him and Yang. The mob of students saw what was going down and got into the seats to watch. Some pulled out their scrolls so they could start recording. Some left, assuming Ivin will win because of his combat experience or Yang will win because of her semblance or Ratchet due to sheer luck and no skill.

Ivin gave Blake a puzzled look. "Blake I'm surprised you agreed to being on top."

Blake shrugged. "Ratchet promised he'd buy me lunch if I was on top. So I said yes." Blake saw Yang's face as she was holding in a laugh and looked at Ivin whose expression remained the same but it was clear his lip was twitching slightly. "Did I say something funny?"

Yang and Ivin lost it and started laughing hard. Ratchet also giggled a bit which Pyrrha gave him a light slap on the head. Pyrrha had a light blush on her face as she turned to Blake and quietly explained Ivin's joke. Blake's eyes slowly got bigger and bigger as Pyrrha explained and her faced turned as red as Ruby's hood which made Yang laugh harder.

"Ivin I didn't think a gentleman like you could be such a perv! Nice going!" Yang gave Ivin a pat on the the back.

Ivin shrugged. "It's not too hard. Sorry Blake. Though you have to admit, it was a good one." Blake reluctantly agreed and got off of Ratchet as she made her way to her seat. Pyrrha soon followed after helping Ratchet up and gave him a quick kiss and wished him luck and also to be safe.

Ratchet turned to the crowd to explain everything that was going on. "Ladies and gentlemen. Friends and random people. You have fallen into my trap. Though my trap will not hurt you. Oh no. Instead it shall reward you! You will all bear witness to the greatest showdown in recorded history! I think. So here's what's gonna happen, though our fighting styles are different and our semblance's are not the same at all, we all have fire based attributes. Thus we shall have a fierce and fiery showdown. Here are thine rules that shall make thy battle quite interesting! Rule 1: There is no ring out and no surrender or mercy allowed. Rule 2: You don't stop until you drop. If you can get back up then don't you dare give up because that would mess with the first rule. Rule 3: There shall be no tie. Somebody must win. No exceptions. Rule 4: Anything goes. And now, for the final and most extreme rule." Ratchet paused for dramatic effect before continuing. "Rule 5: Because of our extreme heat, prepare yourselves. For it's about to get hot in here."

With that Ratchet pretended to drop a mic and the crowd went wild with a chorus of cheers and whistles. Anna rolled her eyes and pretended to gag while Nick held up a tiny flag that said 'Go Ivin!' Ratchet turned and winked at Yang and Ivin while also flashing a cocky smile.

"Do I have a way with words or what?" He said.

"Yeah yeah whatever. Just get to your corner hotshot." Yang said as she began walking to hers.

Ivin checked his shoes to make sure they were tied and also made sure no fabric was loose on his clothes. "Alright. Seems like everything's in order. May the best man win Ratchet." Ivin turned around and walked to his corner of the arena.

Ratchet smiled and quickly headed to his corner. There was no teacher or even a referee so they had set a buzzer to signal the start of the fight. Yang was readying her gauntlets and loaded them with explosive rounds. Ivin drew his sword and looked at it to make sure it wasn't bent. After nodding to himself, he sheathed it and tightened his gloves a bit and placed his hands on his sword. One on the handle, the other on the sheathe. Ratchet didn't bring his shield, something he may choose to regret but he had a little plan he wanted to try out during this fight. As he readied his gauntlets he looked up at the timer. The clock said 00:53

Alrighty…53 more seconds.

Yang, Ivin and Ratchet all closed their eyes. It was obvious to their respective teams that they were trying to drown out the noise of the students and gather all of their inner strength.

Yang smiled. _I wonder how strong Ratchet has gotten. Guess we'll see if he can beat me this time. Should also keep an eye on Ivin…_

Ivin's expression was calm as he was deep in thought while also counting down the seconds. _Yang and Ratchet huh? Well Yang is a tank and I've never truly seen Ratchet when he's pissed. Though according to Yang's stories of all his attempts at beating her, he's strong but usually doesn't have a strategy. Shouldn't be too hard then. I'll go easy on him and just use one hand. 27…26…25..._

Ratchet had a slight frown on his face. But then he had a slight blush and he had a small smile. _Heh, with all the heat that's gonna be trapped in this room, all the girls will sweat and they will be hot. Maybe hot enough to take off their clothes? Aaaaaaah. That'll be the day. Oh! Gotta look good in front of Pyrrha. Plus beat up Yang. And Ivin ain't gonna be so handsome when I'm done with him. Heh heh. Hm…I wonder if…nah. It probably wouldn't work. How much time is left?_

Suddenly a loud buzzing sound filled the arena signaling the start of the match. Ratchet's eyes shot open and he jumped at the sudden sound. Quickly regaining his train of thought he saw Ivin rushing at Yang while Yang rushed straight towards him. _Well then. I guess I'll go to Ivin._

Ratchet rushed towards Ivin while dodging some explosive shells from Yang. As he got closer to Ivin, he slowly surrounded his fist in fire and made a quick jab at his ribs. Ivin easily caught Ratchet's hand and flipped him over. With a loud thud, Ratchet hit the ground and rolled out of the way as Yang slammed her fist into the ground where his head had been. Now Yang was rushing Ratchet and Ivin moved back a few feet before surrounding his sword in fire.

Yang relentlessly attacked Ratchet and didn't let up either. She made a quick jab at his chest which he blocked but then she dropped to the ground and tripped him. Now on the ground Yang got on top of him and aimed at his head. Ratchets eyes widened as he saw her fist rise up and quickly armored up before her fist landed on his face. Hitting the sudden metal, Yang jumped off of Ratchet and took a few steps back.

"Sorry you two. That's game." Yang and Ratchet turned to see Ivin at the other side of the arena holding up his sword. "Burn the world, burn it all! Go forth Dragon's Breath!"

Suddenly a large beam of light came from Ivin's sword and formed the shape of a dragon which roared at Yang and Ratchet. The dragon took a deep breath and then released hell fire across the arena. Yang started running away from the fire and tried to get closer to Ivin so the dragon wouldn't aim at her but it was no use. The fire was too hot and the dragon was purposely blocking her way to him with walls of fire.

"Aim for Ratchet! I'll handle her!" Ivin commanded the dragon. Ivin headed towards Yang to fight her as the dragon moved to Ratchet.

Ratchet stood up and slowly took a few steps back. _Damn! This armor will get me killed if that thing breathes on me!_ Ratchet deactivated his armor and quickly ran away from the dragons flames. It was chasing him all over the arena and slowly but surely, it was gaining on him. Ratchet looked over and saw Yang and Ivin going at it. Ivin had landed a few hits on Yang but they weren't enough to keep her down. Striking her in the arm with his blade, Yang quickly made a punch to Ivin's stomach and hit him dead on.

With the her strength plus all the hits he made on her, Ivin got launched high into the air and the dragon had sensed its master had been damaged and moved to protect him. Ratchet smiled and ran over to Ivin so he was right under him.

Ratchet looked at Yang who was making her way towards him. She was a bit slower than before due to taking some hits but still fast enough to stop him from setting his plan into motion. Ratchet quickly slammed his fist into the ground with as much force as possible, sending a shockwave through the ground and pushing Yang back a few feet.

Ivin's dragon surrounded him and was keeping him safe from harm in a cocoon of fire. Ratchet gritted his teeth and raised his hand. From in the cocoon, Ivin saw Ratchet and his eyes widened at what his leader was doing. Yang also saw what he was doing but since she has never seen him do this, she took this chance to get in a good hit on him.

Ratchet took and a deep breath. "I call upon the weapon that will stop evil! That will protect me and my allies from those who would harm us! Come to me! Sorrows End!" Suddenly a large cloud of thunder appeared right above Ivin and a single lighting bolt struck down and through his cocoon of fire and hit him directly, sending him down to the arena floor at a fast pace. Yang was almost right next to Ratchet when the bolt of lightning landed in his hand and pulsed, pushing her onto the ground. After the bright flash, a sniper was in Ratchet's hand. Thanks to the small teleportation device Ivin gave it. Ratchet turned and fired off three shots at Yang.

Yang was hit by one and was able to roll out of the way from the other two. _Tsk, he's gotten better. Well…time to go all out._ Getting up and getting some distance, Yang closed her eyes and focused. Ratchet saw what she was doing and decided to fall back, passing Ivin who was slowly getting back up from being smashed into the ground.

Ivin looked around to see what was happening. There was still a slight ringing in his ears from the lightning but it didn't seem like he would lose his hearing so he didn't worry about it. Ivin noticed Yang's hair on fire and groaned. And now she's pissed. Great. Ivin pulled his sword from out of the ground and quickly gained distance just like Ratchet.

Yang opened her eyes and instead of their normal lilac color they were now blood red. She took a single step forward and an intense heatwave traveled through the air. She then rushed towards the two boys who were just standing there paralyzed by fear.

Well Ratchet was. Ivin had channeled his fire into wings and flew off away from Ratchet. Ratchet turned around and saw where Ivin was. _Oh shit._ He turned back to Yang who was gaining speed and now leaving a trail of fire behind her. _Oh shit!_ Turning back to Ivin, he saw him ready his blade and surrounded it in fire so hot it dripped onto the floor and melted right through it. _Are they…I'm gonna get sandwiched…oh my god._ Ratchet thought quickly on what he needed to do next. He could dodge but if Yang and Ivin clashed, the explosive force would get him good. If he stood there, he would most likely get turned to ash. Ratchet's eyes widened as he had a great thought. _Oh shit! This is gonna be awesome if I don't get killed!_ Ivin rushed at Ratchet with greater speed than Yang but at this point, they would meet their target at the same time.

Ratchet sprinted towards Yang, who was like a train at this point. It was clear she wasn't going to slow down and that's what he wanted. As he was almost in her range, Yang raised her flaming fist and got ready to slam Ratchet into Ivin. Ratchet had other plans though. Ratchet shifted his footing and used a little aura to push him faster towards Yang with his back turned towards her.

Once he felt the heat from her fist reach his back, he yelled out. "Come forth! Shield Of Remnant!" Suddenly just like his sniper, a shield came down and appeared on Ratchet's back. Yang wasn't affected by the pulse this time and Ivin had slashed through it with his blade. Yang's fist punched the shield and made a giant gong like sound that travelled around the room. The force of her punch was enough to send Ratchet flying towards Ivin. Ivin had no time to react and was met with a hard punch from Ratchet's fist. After punching out Ivin, Ratchet hit the ground and quickly got up.

Yang quickly reloaded her gauntlets and ran at Ratchet while doing so. But it was too late. Ratchet aimed his sniper and unloaded a clip into the girl. As Yang's aura reached red, she slowed down and stood a few inches from Ratchet. She was on the verge of falling over and passing out but not before one more move. Yang smiled and shot off an explosive round right into Ratchet's chest. He had no time to dodge or turn around so his shield could take it. The explosion sent Yang staggering a bit and she fell on the ground right next to Ivin. Ratchet smiled and coughed up blood before falling over right next to the two.

The room was silent. There was no sound. No cheering, no booing. Nothing. It was as if time itself stood still. Then, Ivin filled the silent room with a few pained coughs.

"S-shit…that stings." He said quietly as he held his face. "Well done Ratchet. My perfect face is ruined."

Ratchet was just staring up at the roof along with Ivin and had a bloody smile. "Heh. Thanks. That dragon was fucking awesome. Dragons breath? Not to shabby there pretty boy."

Yang groaned. "Shush. No tears. Only dreams now."

Ivin laughed. "Is that how that meme goes? I forgot."

"I'll show you whose mean." Yang gave a pained laugh and Ivin just sighed. "Guys get it? Eh?"

"Yang please. Don't. It didn't even make sense." Ratchet said as he closed his eyes. _Looks like I'm losing blood…not sure if anyone knows. But I can't even get up so yeah…I think I'm dying a little._

"You two realize you both knocked each other out right? It's a tie." Ivin pointed out.

Yang sighed. "No it's not." Ratchet opened his eyes slowly at what Yang said and she continued. "Ratchet…you've really gotten stronger. To be honest I think I can still beat you one on one. But you were great today. Not only did you take me down but you also took out Ivin and to make it more epic, it was all in the span of about ten seconds. Gotta say, I'm a little jealous."

Ratchet tried speaking but the pain wasn't helping and he had to keep it limited. "Aw shucks. Your gonna make me blush."

Yang laughed. "You deserve this. Well done Ratchet. You win. You finally got me."

Ivin nodded. "Same here. You may not have had a rivalry with me but you've grown Ratchet. I'm proud of you."

Ratchet was moved by what his friends said. He had tears rolling down his face and he was really happy. Though the tears could've also been from the pain in his chest. "Y-you guys…I love you guys."

Ivin and Yang just smiled at that comment and they both let out a relaxing sigh. Ivin then spoke up. "Ratchet…I believe the audience wants to know who won. I don't think they can hear us from down here."

Ratchet was quietly sobbing. _I…I'm so happy I have all of you here with me._ Ratchet slowly raised his arm. Fighting through the pain he raised his bloody arm and held his hand in the air. _That includes you too Irene._ Ratchet clenched his fist and the crowd went wild. Everyone was cheering and quickly uploading the video online so their friends and family could see. The rest of team RWBY, JNPR and RAIN made their way to the arena floor to check on the three. Before his vision faded to black, Ratchet saw Pyrrha's smile fade as her eyes filled with shock and tears. _Damn…I made her cry…_


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13: An Unexpected Visit

Three days have passed and Ivin and Ratchet were still in the medical center. Yang only had to be there for a day before she was good to go. It was no surprise though since its Yang. Pyrrha had been very angry with Ivin and Yang for hurting Ratchet and almost making him bleed out but Ratchet was able to settle her down and convince her that they weren't at fault. Plus it wasn't really Ivin. Yang was the one who fired the explosive round point blank but he didn't bring it up.

The two boys got visits from all their friends throughout the days. As of right now, Ruby and Blake stopped by to check on them.

"Ivin please teach me how you did that! I'm begging!" Ruby was practically bouncing off the walls after seeing Ivin's Dragons Breath move.

Ivin sighed. "Ruby I already told you that you can't do it. You don't even have an elemental semblance. Though your speed could be considered wind, it's still not fire. Sorry kiddo."

Ruby pouted. "No fair. I want a fire breathing dragon."

Ivin laughed. "Maybe one day."

Ratchet was reading on the same book as Blake was. Thought she didn't feel comfortable about it, Ratchet wouldn't leave it alone and she finally gave in. Plus it was a little unbearable since he read at a slower pace than she did.

"Ratchet?" Blake asked as she was already done with the pages and wanted to continue. "You done?"

Ratchet didn't respond for a full two minutes. "And done. Ok turn."

This repeated for the next thirty minutes before the two girls had to go to class. Ratchet and Ivin were once again alone. Ratchet smiled and looked over at Ivin who was on his scroll.

"Why hello there." Ratchet said in a deep voice. "Come here often?"

Ivin shook his head. "I'm sure you're a horny guy since you haven't gotten any action but there are a few things wrong with this. The first is that you have a girlfriend. The second is that neither of us swing that way and the third is that I refuse to play along."

Ratchet kept going. "You know Ivin. I may not be a nurse but I bet I could work the shaft just as well."

"I'm tuning you out now." Ivin put on his fancy headphones and listened to some jazz music to drown out Ratchet.

"Ivin?" He didn't respond so Ratchet tried again. "Ivin!" Nothing. "You bitch. How dare you! Ah…well I have stuff to do too!" Ratchet looked around but wasn't surprised when he didn't find anything near him to use. _Damn it all…_

 _Later that same day..._

"Are you sure you're alright? Nothing hurts? Can you feel your legs? Are you breathing alright?" Pyrrha had come to visit Ratchet after classes were over and the two were alone in the room. Ivin had gone out to the bathroom. He wasn't supposed to be walking around but he said he felt fine and although he had a bruise or two on his face, he worked his charm on the nurses and convinced them to let him go.

Ratchet rolled his eyes at all of Pyrrha's burning questions. "Pyrrha I already told you I'm fine. Can you relax? I'm a lot tougher than I seem."

Pyrrha sighed and sat on the bed, looking down at her hands she spoke with a sad tone. "I just…I was really scared. I had no idea what to do and you were bleeding all over the place. You mean a lot to me Ratchet. I don't know what I'd do if I lost you."

Ratchet didn't know what to say. He knew Pyrrha cared for him but he didn't know she was downright terrified of him dying. Ratchet grabbed Pyrrha's hand and held it tight with his. "Hey it's ok. I'm here and I'm not going anywhere. I'll always be there for you."

Pyrrha gave a small smile. "And I you."

The couple stayed together holding hands for another five minutes before Pyrrha finally spoke up. "Ratchet…would um…would you…"

Ratchet raised an eyebrow as he looked at Pyrrha's face. She was blushing slightly and seemed a bit flustered. Ratchet rubbed her back slowly. "Hey you ok? You can ask me anything Pyrrha. It's alright."

Pyrrha took a deep breath and turned to Ratchet giving him a passionate kiss which he returned immediately. The embrace didn't last long though since Pyrrha wanted to ask her question. As Pyrrha slowly moved her head back, Ratchet noticed she was blushing a bit more furiously than earlier and her beautiful bright green eyes were staring at him. He could see a part of her she didn't think was inside Pyrrha. Lust.

"Ratchet," Pyrrha said in a small voice. "Jaune, Ren and Nora are going to be out of town for a few days. I was wondering if maybe…you'd like to spend the night with me tomorrow or the day after?"

Ratchet was surprised at what Pyrrha was asking. Does…she want to have sex? Is that what she's asking? "Uh…y-yeah. Um sure. S-sounds like fun." Ratchet smiled and Pyrrha's face lit up.

"S-splendid! Well…I suppose I should let you rest a bit more...love you." Pyrrha gave Ratchet a quick kiss on the lips before leaving.

Ratchet laid there in the bed and stared at the ceiling. _Despite all the nonsense that happens to me…I gotta admit…I've been rather lucky lately._

 _Around 11:38 pm…_

Ratchet was fast asleep and was dreaming of what him and Pyrrha would be doing tomorrow night. He would be lying to himself if he said he never wanted to have sex with Pyrrha. They've been together for a while now and it was a thought that had been in his mind a lot lately. He was positive Pyrrha probably thought of it too but there's no way she would admit it. At least not in public.

Ratchet woke up to the sound of a muffled voice. At first he didn't open his eyes and assumed Ivin was talking in his sleep but after hearing the muffle continue and grow slightly louder, he grew irritated and opened his eyes. Turning over to throw a pillow at Ivin, Ratchet was not entirely prepared for what he saw next.

Ivin was laying in his bed with a small gloved hand over his mouth and his eyes were wide with fear as a knife was dangling above his right eye. It was clear he was struggling but his attacker was quite strong. Speaking of the attacker, it was a small girl who was on top of Ivin. She had a devilish smile on her face and a demented psychotic look in her eyes. Her hair was a mix of two colors along with her eyes.

Neo.

Ratchet gritted his teeth and threw his pillow at her. Neo wasn't paying attention to Ratchet and it hit her. Though it didn't hurt whatsoever, it did drop her focus for a second. That second was enough time for Ivin to push Neo off of him and onto the floor. Neo gracefully landed on her hands and flipped backwards until she reached a chair that was against the wall and she sat in it crossing one of her legs and smiling at the boys.

Ivin quickly sat up and Ratchet went to do the same thing but he struggled a bit from the pain in his chest. "I-Ivin…what the hell is she doing here?! What's going on?!"

Ivin kept his gaze on Neo while quickly responding. "You say it like I would know!"

Neo giggled at the two boys as they were worried and confused at her presence. Pulling out her scroll, she typed on it and showed them the message. _Hello. I'm Neo. Me and Ivin have already met. Ratchet how's your chest?_

Ratchet and Ivin just looked at each other. "Uh…it's alright I guess. What are you doing here?"

Neo tapped away on her scroll before showing the message. _Nothing much. Just wanted to visit Ivin and make sure he was ok. I was enjoying our alone time but of course you had to ruin it._

Ratchet looked at Ivin confused. "Ivin…are you…"

Ivin put up his hands. "Ratchet calm down. It's not what you think."

Looking at Ivin and Neo, Ratchet's mouth dropped open. "You were screwing this psychopath?! And in the same room as me?! What the hell dude?!"

Ivin sighed and face palmed. "No Ratchet we were not screwing. She was on top of me for awhile but it was more like she was trying to kill me more than anything."

Hearing a beep sound, Ivin and Ratchet turned to Neo to see her message. _Ivin I'm sorry! I thought you'd love that! I'm into that sort of stuff so I thought you would like it too._

Ratchet shook his head and decided he should probably just go back to sleep but then a sudden thought came to mind. "Ivin…why are you so calm about this?"

Ivin shifted uncomfortably in his bed. "Well I mean…Neo is cute."

"Oh my god…do you have a crazy fetish?! Holy shit what is your problem bro?!"

"Dammit Ratchet I don't have a fetish!"

Another beep sound. _Really? You seemed scared but I felt something hard underneath me. Though it could've just been your sword right? Oh wait, you don't have your weapon on you. Hmm…I wonder…_

That was it. Ratchet gave up. Turning over and pulling the covers over him he pretended to cry. "Ivin I don't even know you anymore."

Ivin rolled his eyes. "Oh please. I may be a gentleman but I'm still a teenage boy." Looking over at Neo, Ivin gave her a puzzled look. "I can't be the only reason why you're here. What do you want?"

A few seconds later and Neo had answered. _Operation MoonLight._

"What about it?" Ivin asked, trying to remain calm. The mention of Freedom or Operation MoonLight always set him on edge and his friends were no exception..

A few more seconds. _I was spying on your friend Irene. I was curious what she was up to and she led me right to one of the Freedom camps. Here's the best part, the operation will be ready to go in a month._

Ivin gasped and Ratchet decided to come up from the covers. "What are you losing air over?"

"Operation Moonlight got moved. It will be done in a month."

Ratchet groaned. "Fuck me…"

Another beep. _No thanks. Though Ivin whenever you're ready I'll come for you anytime._ Neo licked her lips and added a wink as well so he got the message.

"Sweet lord I don't even know how to process this." Ratchet said as he slowly rubbed his temple. "Can you just go so we can sleep?"

A beep. _But I wanna sleep with Ivin! I'll be good I promise. I'll just get a little touchy that's all. And I promise not to use any knives…though I can't say anything about the collar and chains I may have..._

Ivin looked worried. "Ok wait. I'm not sure about this. She just tried killing me."

Ratchet thought about Neo's message. "Yeah Ivin, you are right. There's a word for people like her. Yandere. Have fun." Then he rolled over and fell asleep immediately.

 _My god._ Ivin thought to himself. _Just to go to bed he would let me die? Who does that?!_

Suddenly he felt a small figure land on top of him softly and he looked right into Neo's eyes. She was very attractive but Ivin still didn't like this feeling he had in his gut. He saw Neo typing before showing him the message.

 _You know Ivin, I really like you. I'd do anything for you. I don't know what happened but when I first saw you I just lost my mind and I needed to be with you forever. Maybe this could work…we have to try. So…can you make a girl happy?_

Ivin was surprised at her confession. His father always taught him that he should never make a girl cry unless she was pure evil. But Neo was a rare case. From what Yang told them of Neo, she worked with Roman so that means she is evil…but right now she was so innocent. She was just a small girl hoping her crush would feel the same way she felt. Ivin sighed as he was trying to decide on what to do. True, she did try to kill him a few minutes ago but Neo said she thought he enjoyed that stuff. And on the date where Neo was pretending to be Anna, she was sweet and kind. Ivin would go as far as to say downright beautiful perfect.

Ivin closed his eyes and breathed slowly. "Neo…you can sleep with me tonight."

Neo's face lit up with a smile. Not the same one as before either. No, this smile was from pure happiness. She threw her scroll over to the chair she was sitting on and snuggled under the covers with Ivin. These beds were not very big but due to Neo's very small figure, it wasn't a problem at all. She held his arm and laid her head on his chest. Listening to his heartbeat made her fall asleep with a smile.

Ivin looked down at Neo and he liked how nice she smelt. Like she got all dolled up just for him. He stared at the ceiling for a bit before going to sleep. _Heh. What the hell am I doing?_


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14: No Choice

Ratchet told Ivin he wouldn't tell anyone that Neo had a crush on him. Or that she slept with him last night. As of right now, Ratchet was gathering everyone to talk about what's going to go down in a month. Assuming Neo can be trusted, the hunters and huntress's had little time to prepare a counter measure for Operation MoonLight and also needed a way to stop Freedom in the process.

After about twenty minutes, everyone was gathered in team RAIN's dorm. It took some time, but Ratchet was able to get a hold of Jaune, Nora and Ren and get them back into town. This did mean that him and Pyrrha wouldn't be getting any alone time but right now there were bigger problems that had to be taken care of first.

Everyone was either sitting on the floor or on one of the beds. Ratchet cleared his throat before speaking.

"Alright guys we have a massive problem. Two actually. The moon and Freedom. Both are gonna kill everyone unless we do something about it and we need to act fast because we only have a month before the moon comes down."

Anna raised her hand but didn't even bother waiting to be called on before speaking. "How exactly is Freedom going to do this? I thought space travel wasn't possible since no type of dust helps us get past the atmosphere."

"Anna has a point," Weiss said as she folded her arms. "There has to be another way they're planning on doing this. Assuming they actually can."

"I doubt they would do all this as a joke or a simple diversion." Blake said flatly.

"What about the documents?" Pyrrha asked.

Ivin snapped his fingers at her comment. "Exactly. What about them? We assume these are their plans but who does that? You don't just have an evil plan and then give it all to someone."

"Maybe they want us to stop them?" Ruby said with a smile.

"I don't know sis. If that's how criminals worked then we should've stopped Roman way faster than we did." Said Yang who had brought Zwei and was petting him.

"Ah. Yeah you're probably right." Ruby pouted.

Nick sighed. "Just what the hell do they want from us…"

Ratchet looked outside the window and up into the clouds as if they would help answer their questions. The group saw him in thought and Nora spoke up. "So what are we gonna do Ratchet? I'd like to break their legs but the moon doesn't have legs so I can't do it to that. Plus it's already a little broken."

Ruby and Yang giggled while Weiss and Ren sighed at Nora's comment. Ratchet's eyes narrowed as he was deep in thought and then he had an idea. It wasn't that crazy and he knew it probably would work if he was convincing enough. But then again, he had someone who was more convincing. Turning around to Ruby, Ratchet smiled.

"Hey Ruby, wanna be the key to saving the world?"

 _Deep in the slums of Vale..._

Irene was never a city person. She hated it. All the people, noises and lights irritated her immensely. She also didn't like quiet places. It was awkward and uneventful and not her cup of tea. A nice small town was enough for her but she has yet to see one of those. Perhaps if she ever got the chance to visit the other kingdoms, there would be more towns then big cities.

Irene walked slowly through the slums of Vale looking for something. Though she didn't even know what she was looking for. Liz had told her she had a search mission here and it was of some importance, but not necessary, for Operation MoonLight. Though she didn't want to do it, she knew better than to go against orders especially since this was from the boss.

 _How annoying._ Irene thought as she saw homeless people litter the streets and prostitutes around every corner trying to pick up drunk or depressed men or women. _You'd think Vale wouldn't have a dark side to it. But I suppose all things have a side we don't want._ Irene thought of her Grimm arm and sighed. _No matter what…_

Suddenly, she heard a beeping sound coming from her pocket. Irene pulled out her scroll but when she saw the number it was unknown.

"Ugh. Probably just a prank call or something stupid." Choosing to ignore the call, she kept walking. _Maybe I'm looking for a glyph? Or maybe a spot to create one?_ Irene stopped to take a break on a bench that was in the middle of the sidewalk. After letting her feet rest a bit, she got up but her scroll made another beep sound.

"For the love of…Ruby?" Irene looked confused at the message she had just received.

 _Hey Irene. Could we meet up sometime today? I kinda need some help with something and I'm sorry if you're really busy but I would really appreciate it. Love, Ruby Rose_

Irene looked around the area she was in to see if maybe Ruby had seen her. She didn't see anyone suspicious looking and she frowned. Irene never told Ruby her scroll number. Though someone with tech skills could easily hack into the locations of any scrolls in said hackers city. Only one person came to mind.

Ivin Kekovich.

 _Tsk, and now Ruby has my scroll number. No problem, but now I gotta be extra careful when Liz is around._ Irene tapped away on her scroll and told Ruby she'd meet up with her in another hour or two. Putting her scroll away, Irene continued her aimless walk around the slums.

 _Back at beacon academy…_

"Well?" Jaune asked looking at Ruby. "What did she say?"

Ruby smiled as she got Irene's message and her face lit up as she read it. "She says another hour or two. She's a bit busy at the moment but she can make it when she's done."

"A bit busy huh?" Yang said clearly skeptical about it. "Think she could be doing something for Freedom?"

"Well," Ivin began as he leaned back in his fancy chair and stretched. "Irene hated the city due to so much noise and lights and people. She also has a problem with small towns since they are awkward and silent. Her scroll is showing up in the city slums witch is strange."

"How so?" Pyrrha asked the gentleman.

"Well why would she be there? From what I know of Irene, she's not one to go into shady areas without her team or a friend with her. My scroll isn't picking up anyone near Irene either. She appears to be alone."

"Ivin you…are highly skilled with all this." Weiss applauded him. "Your skills with observation and technology is incredible. It's a shame that…well…"

"That he's stuck with us huh?" Anna said, taking the words right out of Weiss's mouth.

Weiss immediately felt the sting in Anna's words. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that.."

"Don't worry about it," Nick said shrugging. "Honestly our individual skills are great. As expected since we are in Beacon. However our teamwork is downright awful. We can't really match up well. Ain't that right Ratchet?"

Everyone looked over at the curly haired leader of the team. He was still deep in thought and he probably didn't even realize what the group was talking about. Pyrrha got up and walked over to him, placing a hand on his shoulder which startled him.

"Ratchet…what's wrong?"

Ratchet looked into Pyrrha's eyes and could see she was deeply worried about him. Looking around the room, everyone had the same worry in their eyes. He let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding in. "Sorry. This is all just a little tiring and stressful. But don't worry, I have faith we can all do this."

A loud beeping sound came from Ruby's scroll which made her jump. Checking the message, she stood up and looked at Ratchet. "Irene's ready. She says…to meet where it all started. What does that mean?"

Ivin got up from his chair and grabbed his coat. "It means we go to the docks."

 _The Docks Of Vale..._

Irene didn't have to wait long after she had sent her message. Ruby showed up with Ratchet, Ivin and Yang behind her. She assumed Weiss, Blake, Nick and Anna were all hiding in case this was a trap. _At least their cautious._ Irene thought.

Ruby stepped forward towards her. "Hey Irene."

"Hello Ruby." Irene replied casually.

"Uh…how's it going?" Ruby asked nervously.

"Fine. Though from what I can determine by how worried you look and sound, I'm guessing you aren't the same."

Ruby shook her head quickly. "Wh-what?! No, no! I'm fine. We're all fine! Just friends meeting up and talking at the docks. Nothing to be worried about. Heh." Ruby gave Irene a smile but it wasn't a very convincing one.

Irene sighed. "You're a terrible liar. Also I'm not friends with Ivin and me and Yang barely talked in the past. And Ratchet was always trying to get in her pants so it's not like he bothered to spend time with me either."

Yang clenched her fist and Ivin narrowed his eyes as his grip on his sheath tightened. Ratchet placed his hands on both of their shoulders to try and get them to relax and let it go. Surprisingly it worked, though only slightly. Irene grinned as she noticed she was getting under their skin rather easily. Ruby however did not approve and she moved closer towards her.

"Irene stop." Ruby said, her voice cracking slightly. "That's not you talking."

Irene chuckled. "Oh yes, because you know what I'm going through. Let me show you Ruby." Irene raised her hand to remove her hood that covered her face. As soon as she did, Ruby gasped loudly and took a few steps back, Ivin drew his sword and Yang moved to get in front of Ruby. Irene's face was now half and half just like her arms and torso. The left side of her face was now covered in bone and her eye was a bright red.

Ratchet moved slowly to get with Yang and Ruby, with Ivin slowly following. "Irene," Ratchet called out. Her head twitched slightly. "What's happened to you?"

"Isn't it obvious?" She said slowly. Raising her left arm, she pointed at the moon. "It's gotten closer."

"What?!" Ivin yelled and looked up along with the others. Sure enough, the cracked moon was slightly bigger. "That's…not possible. What happened to only one month?!"

Irene just laughed. She sounded insane and Ruby was getting scared. Yang picked Ruby up and moved back behind Ratchet and Ivin. After Irene was done laughing, she looked right at Ratchet and Ivin. "Your dad would be ashamed of both of you."

"What…?" Ivin and Ratchet said in unison with perplexed expressions on their faces.

Irene laughed and covered her face with her Grimm hand while doing so. She couldn't think straight. This situation was funny. All of it was funny. Freedom. Operation MoonLight. Team RAIN. Her so called crush on Ruby Rose. It was all just a glorious joke and she was the punchline. It all made sense.

Ivin was still in thought about what Irene said but now was not the time for such nonsense. "Ratchet. We need to do something. I don't think she's all there. It's like…there's two of her."

Ratchet nodded. "So you felt it too huh?" Ratchet turned to look at Ruby. To say the girl was terrified was an understatement. Her eyes were filled with tears and she was shaking uncontrollably. Even Yang couldn't keep her still. "Yang get her out of here. You and the others pull back. Somethings not right with Irene and in the event that this gets out of hand…"

Yang nodded. She knew very well what he was going to say. "Stay safe Ratchet. Ivin make sure he doesn't do something stupid."

Ivin smiled. "Easier said then done I'm afraid."

Yang smiled and then turned to run back to where her friends were hidden. Ratchet and Ivin were now focused on Irene who had stopped laughing. But now, she was twitching. Slowly raising her left arm, the claws extended and she slashed through the air sending four blades of pure aura at the two boys. Ratchet summoned his shield and got in front of Ivin who in turn crouched behind Ratchet. The four blades hit the shield and pushed the two back a bit but they were unharmed from the attack.

"I thought Grimm didn't have aura?" Ratchet asked Ivin who slowly got up.

"You and me both." Quickly pulling out his scroll, he saw that team RWBY and JNPR had retreated. Though Nick and Anna had stayed behind and were hiding behind a crate to the far left of them. "Nick and Anna are still here. There's also no civilians in the area. What should we do?"

Ratchet weighed his options carefully before making a choice. _Running may cause her to chase us. That would just bring harm to the people in the city. Staying will keep the fight here but if she runs towards the city then we won't have a choice but to chase her and people could still get hurt. Looks like we are going to have to keep her here and make this fast or else this could get from bad to worse in a matter of seconds._

"Ivin…we really don't have a choice here. We gotta stay and fight." Ratchet said. His breathing felt shallowed and out of place while his hands were shaking slightly. _Heh. Now I get nervous huh?_ "We need to keep her here and make sure she doesn't go into the city. If anything, we make her run away from the city."

Ivin nodded slowly. "This is gonna hurt huh?"

"Oh my friend...you have no idea."


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15: To Kill A Demon

Anna and Nick remained hidden behind the massive shipping crate. They were going to attempt to ambush Irene at the right time. Nick had a chance to call down his suit of armor but it would give away the element of surprise. Anna also couldn't open her scythe because of the bright light coming from the blade. All they could do is wait and watch until Ratchet and Ivin gave them an opening.

Speaking of those two, Ratchet and Ivin were a couple feet apart from each other and were currently analyzing the situation.

Ivin surrounded his blade with fire. "Ratchet. Her eye."

Ratchet slowly nodded. "Yeah…she's only crying out of her right eye."

"You think this means she's still in there and this is her Grimm half taking control?"

Ratchet sighed. "Honestly I'm not sure. But…we really don't have time for questions. Ivin flank her while I distract her."

After saying his piece, Ratchet charged forward towards Irene. Ivin waited a few more seconds until he did the same but at a different angle. Irene saw them and decided to target Ivin first since he was the higher threat. Slashing the air, she sent four more aura blades towards him. Ivin quickly stopped and rolled out of the way.

Ratchet had reached Irene in time to get in a quick grab at her throat before she could turn her focus on him. He lifted her up and slammed her into the ground. Normally, the force of the slam would've made anyone cough up blood or at the very least, be in immense pain. However half of Irene's body was protected by bone armor and it protected her from the damage.

Getting on top of her, Ratchet punched her in the face several times. Twice on the left side of her face and twice on the right. Irene didn't react to the punches but the way she looked at him with her right eye was unsettling. Like she was begging him to kill her. Ratchet quickly got off of her before she could swipe him with her Grimm arm.

As Ratchet rolled off, Ivin took this chance to try and stab his sword into Irene's arm and pin it down. He reached Irene with impressive speed and kicked her right in the face. Then after kicking her, he jammed his sword into her arm and set it on fire. Now that her Grimm arm was burning and unable to move around, she didn't have much to rely on.

Irene tried to grab the blade with her normal arm and take it out but Ivin quickly spun around and snapped her arm backwards. The bone chilling snap it made had made Irene cry out in pain. Her voice was now a mixture of her own and slightly demonic.

 _A demonic voice..?_ Ivin looked down at Irene as she was squirming on the ground due to the pain of the flaming sword in one arm and the other that was broken. The only person with a demon voice is…

Ivin quickly turned around. "Anna! Get out here quickly!"

Anna was surprised Ivin called for her but she moved out from the crate and quickly made her way towards him. She winced as she saw Irene's arm bent backwards.

"Anyone ever tell you that you're a savage Ivin?"

"Many." He replied. "Listen. I think Liz is controlling Irene right now."

Irene's eyes frantically looked between the two hunters above her. She could hear them perfectly but the immense pain coming from her arms was not helping her in the slightest. She needed to move. She needed to run. She had to find Ruby.

 _Ruby…_

Irene's thoughts flashed to a few minutes ago. The small huntress was frightened by her. Ruby was crying and she backed away. Irene could tell she didn't see her anymore. No, what she saw was a monster.

Irene heard Anna snicker and that's what brought her out of her thoughts. "So just slice and dice huh? Got it." Anna raised her scythe and as it opened, she walked over to Irene's Grimm arm. "Sorry girlfriend. But this is for the best."

Ivin grabbed his sword. "On three. One. Two. Three!" On three, Ivin pulled out his sword and jumped back as Anna brought her scythe down on Irene's arm. Everything slowed down as Irene's eyes widened to the rapidly descending scythe that would cut off her arm.

Inches away from her arm, Anna was stopped by a shield of crystal that formed slightly above the Grimm arm. Anna tried to pull it out but her weapon was stuck in it. Irene quickly rolled away from the two and got to her feet. Slowly backing away she felt something slowly building up from inside her. Irene clenched her stomach as the feeling of puking was getting closer. Ratchet had made his way over to Anna and Ivin and the three of them looked over at Irene with confused expressions but their guard was still up.

Irene slowly started coughing. Then it got worse and worse. Finally, after almost a full minute, she puked out a black ooze. Falling to her knees, Irene watched in horror as the splattered ooze on the ground slowly formed together and started to rise. The shape it made was of a small human girl. A small demonic girl.

Liz.

Liz stood there with a huge smile on her face as she stared down at Irene who looked terrified. "Aw are you ok? I know it's scary but I've been inside you all along baby." Liz reached her hand out and Irene flinched when her hand patted her head. "There there. You take a rest. Just let me handle these pests and I'll kill that stupid girl in the hood. Then we can be together like before."

Liz turned around to the three people that were bothering her and her beloved. She had a look in her eyes, a look Ratchet and Ivin knew very well thanks to a certain small psychopath.

Anna also seemed to notice. "Ew. She's bad shit crazy."

"Yes well…apparently she has been living inside of Irene for some time." Ivin replied.

"Whatever the case, Liz is a problem that needs to be dealt with." Ratchet said sternly, bringing Anna and Ivin back on track. "I think she's the one who caused Irene's…odd behavior with Ruby earlier."

"Wow. Not as stupid as you look there Ratchet." Liz butted in. "I've been a part of her ever since she was 'killed' during the Grimm invasion in the city."

Ivin narrowed his eyes. "What are you?"

"Well I'm not her Grimm half," Liz said matter of factly. "Oh no, that part of her is from the behemoth that swallowed her. I'm what you'd call…a special bonus. I take care of her and make sure she doesn't do anything stupid. Though as of late, she's been getting clever and keeping me out of the loop with this Ruby girl."

Anna finally pulled her scythe out of the crystal shield. "So, like what? You're a sister personality?"

Ratchet shook his head. "I'd go as far as to say a demon. I believe in God and all that but I sure as hell didn't think it was true."

Liz smirked. "Nice job contradicting yourself. Anyway, I guess you could call me a demon or whatever. I'm not too sure what I am, but I prefer to be called Liz."

"That's a shame," Ivin said with a smirk of his own. "I have a nice name for you on my blade. Though, the print is rather small so I might need to get up in your face."

"Just try it pretty boy."

 _Meanwhile..._

Yang and the others were breathing heavily as they made a break for the city. They were all in a back alley and Ruby was unconscious. Most likely from the shock. She was mumbling to herself and she seemed…lost. Yang's eyes were red and it was clear she was angry.

"This is bullshit." She said to nobody in particular. "Ruby shouldn't have to suffer like this just because that girl can't keep her Grimm half in check."

Weiss looked down at Yang, who was holding her younger sister close. "Calm down Yang. Ruby isn't hurt and that's what matters."

Yang didn't respond. She knew Weiss was right that she needed to stay calm but it was hard. Ruby may not have been hurt physically, but who knows how she's doing mentally. Yang could only imagine the toll all this is taking on her.

"Uh…guys?" Everyone looked over at Nora. "Where's Pyrrha?"

"Oh no…" Blake said quietly.

"She was just right behind us!" Jaune said, worried where she disappeared too.

Ren looked in the direction of the docks. "Ratchet." He turned around to see everyone's confused and worried expressions. "She went back to protect Ratchet."

 _Back at the docks..._

The docks were covered in shards of broken crystal and a few crates were tipped over. By this point in time, Nick had entered the fight and team RAIN was trying their best to hold off Liz's brutal assault.

Anna and Ivin had suffered a few cuts and even some bruises. Ratchet was somewhat ok since he had armored up and summoned his shield to protect him from behind. Nick had managed to not get hit by anything but due to the weight of his hammer/cannon, he was mush more tired then his allies.

Liz was sitting in a throne made of crystal as she watched her four enemies try and dodge or fight her crystal swords. Although it was amusing, she was slightly displeased that they were still alive. Crossing her left leg over her right and placing her head in her left hand, she watched the team of four struggle to stay alive.

Ivin was holding his own against two swords at once. He was much faster than he seemed and expertly blocked incoming attacks. He's easily the fastest member of team RAIN in terms of attack speed and just speed in general.

Anna was still a novice with her scythe but she knew what she was doing well enough to hold off the sword attacking her. She had taken a few hits but nothing seriously life threatening.

Nick was able to destroy multiple swords due to the sheer force of his hammer. However when he destroyed a few, more would appear in their place. He was fighting a losing battle and felt himself being drained of his energy. Soon, he'd be bested by swords due to him being tired.

Ratchet was only dodging the swords. Three were attacking him all at once and he could easily knock them down but he was unsure if they would go down with a single punch. If they did then great. If not, he'd be sliced up by the other two as soon as he struck one of them twice. He was also the only one trying to advance towards Liz.

"Come on RAIN. I thought you'd all be more entertaining than this. Don't tell me you don't want to show off your flashy moves. Assuming you losers have any." Liz laughed as she taunted her enemies.

"She's really pissing me off!" Anna yelled as she violently swung her scythe and destroyed two blades, only to block two more that had reappeared behind her.

"I can agree!" Ivin said as he shattered a sword with his own. Quickly sidestepping a downward strike from a sword behind him, he turned around and shattered the second one with one strike. Raising his blade again, he prepared for the next blade that was already coming at him. "Ratchet what's the plan?!"

Ratchet rolled out of the way of two swords trying to stab him. Quickly getting up, he blocked the third with his shield on his back. "Working on it!" Ratchet yelled back at Ivin.

Liz wasn't too far away from him. He could get to her in about ten seconds at his top speed. But he wasn't sure what else she had planned for him. Regardless, they were all getting tired and soon would pass out or just be to exhausted to fight.

Ratchet made a mad dash towards Liz. Using aura push, he launched the three blades away from him and also pushed himself towards her, closing the distance immensely. Just a few more seconds, he thought to himself.

Liz smiled. "Now now, how rude." Liz stood up and lifted her throne off the ground, making Ratchet stop dead in his tracks and back up. "You shouldn't just charge me like I'm some two bit criminal or some mindless Grimm."

Liz threw the throne at Ratchet. He raised his fist and punched the throne once it was in range. The throne split in two and broke two blades coming at him from behind. Ratchet's shield was able to take the hit of the third and destroy it.

Then, as he was about to make his way towards Liz, she had already moved.

Now standing a few feet in front of him, Liz raised her hand and aura pushed Ratchet all the way into a shipping crate. Almost all the way on the other side of the docks. Liz summoned all of her blades that were focused on Nick, Anna and Ivin to go after Ratchet and she sent an extra one towards a crane right above him. The crane was holding a massive shipping crate.

Ratchet looked at the incoming blades and also saw the one that was headed towards the crane. If he didn't act fast enough, he would either be stabbed to death or crushed to death. Or both. Quickly getting to his feet, he tried running from under the crates shadow so he wouldn't get squished. However his legs didn't move after he stood up. Looking down at his feet, he was trapped in crystal. He looked up and his eyes widened as the blades came closer to him and the cable that was holding the crane and shipping crate had been cut.

"Ratchet!" Ivin, Anna and Nick yelled out at the same time. They were trying get over there and do something, anything! But they were too tired. They had no energy. And all they could do is watch what was about to unfold.

Ratchet closed his eyes and raised a hand as the blades and shipping crate got dangerously close. Time seemed to move slower in these last few seconds. It was like his life was flashing through his eyes. He was being showed all the things he did throughout his life up until this point. Small things like getting accepted into Beacon, being a leader of a team and having his rivalry/romance with Yang. Then big things like Irene's death, meeting Ivin, getting together with Pyrrha, finally defeating Yang (plus Ivin) in a duel, and everything that's happened ever since the team found Irene again.

Overall, he had a good life. But Ratchet knew he should've, no, he could've changed things. Like spending more time with Pyrrha. Make amends with Nick. Maybe even try to be better friends with Anna. Maybe not the last one but aw well. His time was over now…

…

…

…Anytime…

 _What the hell?_ Ratchet opened his eyes and the shipping crate that was above him and about to crush him, was now in front of him blocking all the crystal blades. There was a blackish aura around said shipping crate.

"Sorry I'm a little late." A feminine voice said behind him. Turning his head, he saw the only girl he knew who could have such strength. The only girl who would literally stop death from taking him from her. The girl he loved more than anything.

Pyrrha Nikos.

Ratchet smiled. "Hello there beautiful."

Pyrrha blushed and smiled back as she waved with her free hand. "Hello again! Ratchet, are you ok?"

"Now that your beautiful face is here, yes."

Pyrrha sighed. He never changes. "Now now, this is hardly the time for jokes. Now if you'll excuse me." Pyrrha shifted her gaze towards Liz who was standing over by Irene and smiling. Pyrrha used both her hands to split the crate in half and send both of the pieces at Liz.

Liz grabbed Irene and moved out of the way of the first half of the crate. The second half was heading right towards her though. Liz quickly summoned a giant hammer and smashed the massive piece of metal down onto the ground.

Liz groaned. "How bothersome. Nobody invited that slut of a huntress." She looked down at Irene who was just staring at her wide eyed. "Hey there darling, I'm gonna need to rest a bit. I'll just take us far away from here and then I'll come back inside. Don't worry, we can have some alone time once I'm rested."

"Sadly, that's not going to happen." Liz quickly turned around and felt a hand grab her by the throat. She gagged and frantically grasped at the arm holding her up. Looking right into her attacker's eyes, she knew who it was.

The low life orphan. Ratchet.

"Get…y-your filthy…hands…o-off of me…!" Liz managed to say that much before Ratchet clenched his hand tighter around her throat.

"Your first mistake was picking a fight with team RAIN. Sure, we all have terrible teamwork. However, we always get the job done because fools like you are too overconfident in your abilities or fighting styles. Second mistake was fucking with Irene's life this entire time. She's been through a lot and I'm sure since you care about her so much that you probably thought you were helping her. But instead, you scared the shit out of her true love. Ruby Rose." At the mention of her name, Liz gritted her teeth and snarled at Ratchet. He rolled his eyes and looked dead into her's.

Liz saw something in his eyes. She didn't know how to explain it. But this feeling…yes…she knew this feeling. She felt it a few times when listening to her boss talk. He also has this same look. The look of pure hatred. That the person they are looking at could very well be killed. This time, Liz didn't think Ratchet would let her off the hook like the boss did.

"Your final mistake. And without a doubt, what doomed you as soon as you fucking thought it," Ratchet said as he choked Liz even harder than before. If she weren't a demon or whatever, she'd be dead for sure. "You called Pyrrha a slut. She is not a slut. You have no fucking right. Now, you're gonna pay bitch."

Ivin, Anna, Nick and Pyrrha had made their way over to Ratchet, Irene and Liz. They were all surprised at how quickly Ratchet got over here. Pyrrha broke the crystal holding him but she didn't think he'd be ready to move right off the bat like that. It was quite a shock.

"Finish her off dude." Nick said, slightly annoyed. "I'm beat from all this."

Anna sighed. "We still got work to do. Operation Moonlight might've been moved up remember? It's a pain but we gotta find out what's up."

Nick groaned. Ivin sheathed his blade and took in a deep breath. "Ratchet, Nick and Anna are right. We should hurry up. We may not have a lot of time left and every second counts."

"Scratch her." He replied.

"I…what?" Ivin asked with a surprised tone.

"Take out your sword and slice her cheek." Ratchet repeated himself.

Ivin slowly pulled out his blade and moved towards Liz. He made a small cut on her cheek and sure enough, a small amount of blood came from it. "There. Now what?"

Ratchet smiled. Ivin saw it and he felt a chill up his spine. Ratchet was…fucking pissed. He didn't know he could get this pissed off. It was a bit frightening.

"I just wanted to know. She said she doesn't know if she's a demon or something else right? Well all we need is one thing. Blood. Because if something bleeds, you can kill it."

Before anyone could respond, Ratchet raised his arm and shoved it straight through Liz's body. The small girl screamed out in pain and coughed up blood. Ratchet's hand pierced Liz and was now sticking out of her back holding onto something. It was purple, but it was the same shape as a normal one.

A heart. And it was still beating.

Ratchet crushed the heart in his hand and Liz stopped moving and screaming immediately. Everyone was quiet. They all just witnessed Ratchet brutally kill Liz. She was bad yes…but what he did was uncalled for.

Ivin, Anna and Nick stepped away from him. Pyrrha stood there in shock and in a lost for words as Ratchet pulled his arm out and dropped the corpse of Liz. He stared at his bloody arm and sighed. It sounded like he was…relived.

"Ah. Just another day. Taking out the trash." He said with a happy tone.

Pyrrha's eyes were wide and filled with fear at what she was hearing and seeing. _W-what's wrong with him…_


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16: Ratchet And Ruby

Two days have passed since team RAIN's battle with Liz. To say the rest of their friends were disturbed by what Ratchet had done was an understatement. Jaune threw up. Ren was disappointed. Blake and Nora were at a lost for words. Weiss was disgusted. Ivin didn't show emotion but he was bothered by it. Anna looked like she had seen a ghost. Nick kept feeling a cold chill whenever he thought of what happened.

Ivin had taken the liberty of moving Irene into the woods after Ratchet killed Liz. Since she's part Grimm, he believed there was no reason she'd be bothered by others unless she bothered a pack or something. Irene looked scared. Like she had no idea what had happened or what she should do. Ivin couldn't tend to her broken arm but she could walk and also had a Grimm arm to rely on. He assumed she was fine and left her there.

Pyrrha wasn't talking to Ratchet. Nobody was. After what happened, they told Ozpin and Ozpin decided that Ratchet should be kept on lockdown in the RAIN dorm. Ivin, Anna and Nick slept in an empty room around the corner. Pyrrha was taking this pretty hard. She didn't know how to feel about Ratchet's sudden brutality. She was…confused. She wanted to know what caused him to do that but she didn't know if he was all right for other people to talk to him yet. The only people who could see him were Glynda and Ozpin and that was mostly to give him food or just see if he was still there.

Yang was furious with him. If she were in that fight, she might've flipped out and beaten the little girl into dust but Yang never thought she'd go so far as to rip out somebody's heart and crush it. The way it was described to her though just seemed so unreal.

 _Ratchet had a look in his eyes and he smiled? Is…he going crazy…no. This is Ratchet. He's a clumsy idiot who'd rather get himself killed rather than his friends or civilians and he never gives up on a tough opponent, no matter how many times he gets beat down. Is it Operation MoonLight? Freedom? Pyrrha did mention he wasn't sleeping well…_ All these thoughts ran through her head throughout the day. Yang wasn't sure if she should wait for Ratchet to recover and get better from…whatever he was going through. Or if she should just go in there and get some answers.

Ruby had woken up today and Yang was glad. The doctors said she was unconscious due to shock but nothing overly life threatening. It was nice to hear some good news since they've all been dealing with either bad news or worse news. However Ruby caught wind of what Ratchet did. Stuff like that spreads fast through the students.

Ruby decided she was going to pay Ratchet a visit. She didn't know if she'd get in trouble for doing this but she wanted to make sure he was alright and also wanted to know if all this was true since her friends wouldn't give her a straight answer.

Later that day, Ruby made her way to the RAIN dorm. There were no guards outside the room. Apparently Ratchet could leave whenever but if he did he would not only be in big trouble, but also might take a long lecture from Glynda and a massive slap on the wrist. She quickly made sure no students were around before opening the door and entering the room.

Ruby saw Ratchet laying on his bed just staring at the ceiling. "Listen professor, I don't want any food today. Also I'm not going anywhere so please stop checking on me."

Ruby was confused at first but then she understood that Ratchet assumed it was Glynda and Professor Ozpin since they were the only two who came in. She closed the door slowly and stood in the center of the room, not sure of what to say. "Uh…its me Ruby."

Ratchet sat up immediately and looked right at her. "R-Ruby?! You can't be here!"

Ruby rubbed the back of her head. "Yeah so I heard. But I wanted to make sure you were ok. There's some nasty rumors going around the school. Like, you crushed the heart of some girl who was part of an evil organization? Crazy right?" Ruby gave a nervous chuckle hoping he would laugh with her.

Unfortunately he didn't laugh. He only sighed. "It's true Ruby. It's all true."

"O-oh." Ruby shifted her feet awkwardly and looked down at her hands that were clasped together. "Ratchet…why?"

Ratchet looked at his hands. "I don't know. I would say it's because it was the right thing to do. But it wasn't. I honestly think I lost my mind at that point."

Ruby slowly walked over to Ratchet and hopped up onto the top bunk with him. "Are you ok?"

He shrugged. "I'm sure everyone hates me. Pyrrha probably doesn't even want to see my face. I can only imagine how scarred Ivin, Anna and Nick are about what happened."

Suddenly, Ratchet felt Ruby grab him and hug him. The tiny girl tried holding him tight so he could know how much she cared for him. Ratchet had a small smile. "Ruby what's this about?"

Ruby shook her head. "Im not too sure. I just know that you are still you. I don't want you to change and I believe you when you say you don't know what happened."

"Thanks Ruby." The two sat there for a few more seconds before separating. "Ruby are you ok?"

Ruby looked at her feet as she swung them back and forth over the bedside. "I'm alright. But I'm here for you Ratchet. Don't worry about me."

"Come on Rubes. You were out cold for practically two days. How are you doing?"

Ruby stopped swinging her feet but didn't look up at Ratchet. "I just…I don't know. I know now that Irene was there at first but that girl took control or something. I just…I wish I could've done something to help."

Ratchet went to hug her but felt like he should save the hug for later. Ruby then continued. "Do you ever feel like if you were different, you'd be able to do more than you can now?"

Ratchet chuckled. "Girl, you have no idea."

"Well…I've had these dreams while I was unconscious. I was different. I acted calm and I was overall way better at everything then I am now. It was weird. Like I was looking in the future."

Ratchet raised an eyebrow. Ruby never talked like this. Could what happened at the docks be the cause of her change? "That is strange. I was about to die when we fought Liz. I saw my life flash before my eyes. I didn't notice anything important besides all my friends. Then I found how happy I am with Pyrrha and how happy she is with me. It was strange but I felt at ease. Then I realized I don't spend that much time with her. I feel different now. Like that experience changed me."

Ruby placed her hand on his shoulder. "Yeah, I know what you mean. After what happened…I feel different."

Ratchet looked at Ruby with a smile. "Guess we're going crazy huh?"

"Oh stop it." The two shared a laugh. It felt nice. Ruby and Ratchet had a nice relationship. They were good friends. Oddly enough, Ratchet felt like he was something of a older brother to her. He liked to see her smile and make sure she was doing alright. He never had any romantic feelings for her though. It's not that she wasn't cute, but in the event something happened like they got into an argument, he knew Yang would step in and that would be a headache.

"Ratchet can you get food?" Ruby asked.

"Nah. Usually the professor brings it to me. Not allowed to leave." He shrugged.

Ruby hopped off the bed. "It's about lunch time. Would you like me to bring you back something?"

Ratchet took a moment to think about what he was in the mood for. Definitely something warm and juicy. "A burger please."

Ruby saluted. "Roger." After seeing Ratchet smile, she went off to get some food.

 _A few minutes later..._

Ruby got back with a burger for Ratchet and a plate of cookies for herself. The two enjoyed their lunch and were talking about stuff that both of them had planned on doing.

"So what are you gonna do after Ivin graduates?" Ruby asked.

Ratchet took a bite from his burger and swallowed his food before speaking. "Not too sure. I thought of fixing his grades so he fails and then we can all graduate together. But with his money and influence, I doubt it would work."

Ruby bit into a cookie. "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course Ruby."

Ruby quickly finished her cookie before asking. "Would you want to come on my training montage with me?"

Ratchet was surprised at her question. "Training montage? Sounds kinda extreme."

Ruby shrugged. "Well yeah. My uncle Qrow has been outside of the city walls before and he's super cool and skilled. So I thought, hey, if I do the same thing then maybe I can be just like him."

Ratchet thought about what she was saying. "Does Yang know about this?"

Ruby shook her head. "Nope. I didn't want to tell anyone just in case they tried to stop me. Not to brag, but I'm pretty good with Crescent Rose. But I could be a master with it if I had some extreme training."

Ratchet nodded. "Sounds reasonable enough. Sure. Sounds like one hell of an adventure. Though, Yang won't be to happy if she finds out."

Ruby smiled. "Yeah, well, I am her little sister."

Ratchet and Ruby finished their food a few minutes later and talked some more. It was nice for Ruby because she felt she was getting closer to Ratchet. She also felt like she was helping Ratchet feel better.

Ratchet was very pleased that Ruby had stopped by. To be honest, he was bored and a bit lonely since nobody was allowed to visit and he wasn't allowed to leave. Having Ruby around had helped clear his mind and made him feel at peace. It was odd how she had that effect on people but it was still great to have.

"Oh wow, it's late." Ruby said, shocked to see how dark it was outside.

"So it would seem." Ratchet agreed. "Guess you should get going Ruby. Everyone's probably curious about where you've been all day."

"Well…if you think that's best." Ruby slowly made her way to the door. Stopping right in front of it she turned around and opened her mouth.

At the same time Ratchet turned around and opened his mouth.

"Just to make sure, you're alright right?"

Ruby and Ratchet just stared at each other and they both laughed.

"I'm good Ruby."

"Me too Ratchet. Night." Ruby opened the door and left the dorm room.

Ratchet got up onto his bed and laid there. _Overall…pretty good day. Now I just need some sleep._

* * *

 **A/N: Well, well, well. Things are sure going from shocking to peaceful in such a short time. But will the peace last? Who knows.**

 **So I've decided to right a prequel to this story called The Legend Of Irene. I feel she is still a mystery to you guys and I want you all to understand her side of the story (or at least what she's been through)**

 **The story will take place before The Legend Of RAIN and will add some light to how Liz and Irene met, what they've done, how they got up with Freedom and perhaps some secrets will be revealed that aren't even in this story?**

 **You don't need to finish this story in order to read the other. The Legend Of Irene will also only be about 10 to 15 chapters long. Hope you all enjoy it or stick around to find out what happenes to team RAIN in the coming chapters.**

 **\- CLOUD MARIO**


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17: Ratchet And Pyrrha

The next day, Ratchet went around making amends with all of his friends. It wasn't easy but he hated the idea of his friends hating him forever. Or at least for a very long period of time. Ratchet didn't need to speak with Ruby but he did anyway. Ruby forgave him again even though she pretty much did yesterday.

Moving on, Ratchet decided to talk to the other members of the team. Weiss didn't forgive him immediately but she understands he's been under a lot of pressure. She was going to have to think on it but she wasn't super mad at him so he took it as a win.

Blake forgave him surprisingly fast. Once a member of the white fang, Blake understands the feeling of…blanking out. Ratchet didn't push into that area of conversation all too much. He was sure she wouldn't want to talk about it anyway.

Yang…was a little hard to get through. She was furious with Ratchet and he had to dodge a couple of fiery punches before she finally calmed down to the point where her eyes weren't red. After hearing his side of the story, and that Ruby believed him, Yang finally gave in.

Ren, Nora and Jaune were all together and Ratchet just talked to all of them at once. Ren gave him some mediation tips so he would cool down and not do something like that again. Nora suggested just breaking the enemies legs and not doing something like that again. Jaune believed everyone deserved a second chance so Ratchet was in the clear.

Ratchet was about to make his way back to his dorm room to confront Anna, Nick and Ivin but then he saw Pyrrha walking through the halls. Ratchet guessed she was probably going back to her dorm. _Ren, Nora and Jaune are gonna be out for a long time..._ Ratchet nodded to himself and decided to take action. Going up to the JNPR dorm room, he knocked on it three times. Since these rooms were basically soundproof, he wasn't sure if he'd hear her voice from outside even if he was right next to the door.

Suddenly, the door opened to reveal Pyrrha in her school uniform and with a shocked look on her face. "Oh! Ratchet it's you!" Pyrrha went to hug him which he returned immediately. "When we're you allowed out?"

Ratchet smiled. The way that question was worded made it seem like he was in prison. "Today. From now on I'm a free man. I've been going around asking everyone to forgive me because of what I did back at the docks. That…wasn't me. I'm not exactly sure what happened."

Pyrrha let go of Ratchet and stepped back. "Well…are you alright?"

Ratchet gave a small laugh. "Girl come on, it's me. Of course I'm…ok."

Pyrrha raised an eyebrow and slightly shifted her tone to a more stern one. "Ratchet?"

 _Oh no. She's doing that thing where she shifts her tone._ Ratchet gulped. "Y-yes?"

Pyrrha sighed. He is just something else. "Well come on in and let's talk."

Ratchet went into the room and Pyrrha closed the door. Ratchet had been in here before for…reasons. He and Pyrrha had spent quality alone time in her room before. They also once did in Ratchet's dorm but an unexpected walk in from Nick was very awkward.

Immediately going to sit down on Pyrrha's bed, Ratchet began talking. "Pyrrha I'm sorry for how I've been this past month. Between the lack of sleep, Operation MoonLight, Irene and some other stuff, I haven't been me you know?"

Pyrrha sat down next to Ratchet. "Ratchet…"

"I know I'm lucky to have you and I'm sorry I'm not as perfect as Ivin but…" Ratchet's shoulders slumped. "I'm doing my best here."

Pyrrha hugged Ratchets arm and placed her head on his shoulder. "I know you are. You may not be like Ivin, but that's what I like about you. You're different from…well, almost all boys." Pyrrha looked up at Ratchet. "I can't say I'm not still a little shook up about what you did, but I do believe everything you're saying."

Ratchet was surprised at this. "You mean it?"

"Of course." Pyrrha got up and walked over to the window and closed the curtains.

Ratchet questioned what she was doing. "Pyrrha?"

Pyrrha had a smile on her face as she was humming a tune while moving to the door to lock it. "Hmm?"

Ratchet figured out what she was doing and acted quickly. "Pyrrha wait a sec. I don't know about this."

Pyrrha moved back to Ratchet and sat on his lap. "Oh?"

Ratchet sighed. _I swear I'm being punished._ "We shouldn't. I mean this isn't the time right?"

"Well…" Pyrrha said looking down at the floor. "I don't believe the rest of my team will be back for awhile so when would be the best time?" Ratchet didn't like the tone Pyrrha had in her voice. She was clearly upset that he wasn't in the mood but he couldn't help it. He still needed to talk to his team about what happened and plus he was tired and needed a good nights sleep. Also stress. There was lots of stress building up lately.

Pyrrha turned her head and gave him a quick kiss. "Are you stressed over everything that's been happening."

"Eh." Ratchet shrugged, lying through his teeth. He didn't want to worry Pyrrha more than she already does. She cared for his well being more than he did.

Pyrrha didn't seem to notice. She thought of what she should do now. It was true that now probably wasn't the best time to get a little frisky but she wanted to do this for Ratchet more than herself. After all that he's been through she thought it would be nice to reward him. Plus what kind of teenage boy could resist doing anything with a girl when they are alone? Being a teenage girl herself, Pyrrha had been having dirty thoughts lately but she would never tell anyone about that. Nora has also been saying she needs to be more assertive.

"Oh!" Suddenly, Pyrrha felt Ratchet pick her up. She placed her arms around his neck and let her legs hang over his arm. Her face was as red as Ruby's hood. "R-Ratchet?"

Ratchet smiled. "Listen, if you wanna do this we can. Or we could do something even more fun." He winked at her and she gave him a confused look.

"More fun? What would we do?" She asked.

Ratchet shrugged. "Who knows." Ratchet smiled at Pyrrha who was thinking about her options. He took this time to reflect on his plan. If Pyrrha said she'd like to have more fun, then they could snuggle and watch a movie. Those were fun and it was likely that they would fall asleep together. But if she wanted to continue on with the day doing sexual activities, he was sure he would be tired tonight and tomorrow.

"Well," Pyrrha started. "What else did you want to do?"

Ratchet smiled. "How about we watch a movie huh? You can choose this time." Pyrrha didn't seem to completely dislike the idea of the movie but Ratchet could tell she was still hesitant. "Listen, we should do all this after we handle Operation MoonLight. It'd be great since we won't be in a rush to save the world."

Pyrrha smiled and nodded her head. Putting her back on her feet, Ratchet got under the covers of the bed. She joined shortly after picking a movie to watch on her scroll. The two held hands and Ratchet held Pyrrha by the waist with his free hand while she enjoyed the warmth of his body under the blanket. Pyrrha chose a romantic comedy since Ratchet actually didn't mind them all too much.

About halfway through the film, Ratchet and Pyrrha fell asleep. They were face to face with their foreheads touching and still holding hands. The couple had smiles on their faces as they slept together.


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: So due to some stuff in this chapter and of some things that will occur in the coming chapters, the story has reached an M rating. At least I think so. If you disagree please tell me but for the most part I think it does. For those that don't like M rated stories or if you're actually like underage, I am sorry but you should not go past this authors note. For those that do like M rated stories or are old enough or just simply don't care what the rating is, have fun and enjoy. See you at the bottom.**

* * *

Chapter 18: Darker Then Blood, Colder Then Ice

Ever since Liz was killed, Irene felt empty. She didn't even really know if that's how she should feel. Scared. Hurt. Confused. All of it seemed meaningless anyway. Irene was able to get over what happened quickly. Ever since she became a half Grimm, she realized very quickly that things progress faster if you just accept what's happened and move on.

But this was a bit different.

Irene and Liz were close. Very close. Not because apparently Liz lived within Irene, but it was because of their relationship. Irene didn't have any true romantic feelings for her, she only acted like that so she was on Liz's good side. Though her job consists of betrayal on a regular basis, Irene felt terrible for betraying Liz's feelings like that. But her feelings were to Ruby and nobody else. Even if that meant Ruby would probably never want to see her again. Not unless she came to kill her.

Irene sat in her room at the Freedom hideout. She awaited further instructions from the boss. The soldiers were whispering to each other about what happened. Even though Irene gave her full report to the elite guards, it didn't match the data they had on team RAIN. Irene told them that it was a surprise at what Ratchet did but they were still a little skeptical.

Irene heard a knock on her door. "I'm coming in." Said a female voice. Before Irene could even respond, the door opened to reveal one of the elite guard. She wore a white cloak that flapped in the wind along with a white commander hat and her trusty tower shield was on her left arm at all times. She had beautiful long brunette hair. Irene saw her cold blue eyes staring down at her. She didn't seem to happy.

This was the elite of the elite. Red Sapphire.

Of course this wasn't her real name but nobody knew her true name. The rumor around her name is because of the things she's done. Apparently she's well known outside the walls of the kingdoms due to the bloody trails she leaves everywhere. The stories around the guards quarters end the same way, 'Her eyes are blue like a sapphire but if you stare into them long enough, you can see how much blood they've bathed in.'

Red Sapphire held up a folder. "This," she threw the folder at the ground and stepped on it. "Is garbage. You expect me to believe Liz was defeated like this?"

Irene's left eye twitched. _Stay calm. Getting angry at her will just kill me._ "I don't know what to tell you. That's the truth you're stepping on."

Red Sapphire wasn't in the mood to deal with this but it was also her job so she had to do it. "Listen to me Irene. You are nothing more than a tool. You always have been and always will be. You don't have a choice so stop hiding the truth."

Irene gritted her teeth. She couldn't hold back her temper anymore. "No! You listen to me bitch!" Irene stood up and got in Red Sapphire's face. "The only tool here is you! All you do is prance around here not doing any dirty work! You think just because you were tough shit outside the kingdoms means your rep is in them? Don't make me laugh. You're pathetic! You always will be! Not to mention you are more dense then Ratchet!"

In a quick burst of speed, Red Sapphire grabbed Irene by the throat and slammed her into the wall. A massive crack was left behind and if she slammed her into the wall again, it would definitely break. Red Sapphire then threw her onto the ground and stepped on her face. Irene struggled to get from under her boot but when she attempted to use her Grimm arm, she saw the look in Red Sapphire's eyes.

Pointless.

That's all Irene could feel. She knew that no matter what she did, Red Sapphire would block, counter or even shrug it off. She didn't know how to act and slowly she stopped struggling and just laid there.

"How sad." Red Sapphire said as she removed her foot from Irene's face. "You really are nothing but an animal. I'm sure Ruby wouldn't like to see you like this."

Irene's eyes widened. "H-how do you know about her?!"

Red Sapphire turned on her heel and was about to leave. Stopping at the door, she tipped her hat slightly forward, turned her head and smiled. "How do you think we knew about you? That you were eaten by a behemoth class?" She laughed when she saw Irene's expression. "That's right. Freedom has been watching all of you since you were children. We are quite interested in all of you. RWBY, JNPR and RAIN are all interesting teams. We still don't know what Ozpin is up too. After all, those three teams in one school just can't be a coincidence. Anyway, I may have been out in the Badlands but I have contacts in all the kingdoms. I know more then that fool of a professor, General Ironwood."

Taking a step outside of the room, Red Sapphire checked her shield for any scratches. Nodding in satisfaction that it hadn't been damaged she turned back to the doorway. "I'll forgive you for earlier since I know you aren't strong enough to control your Grimm half yet. It's sad but I suppose you can't expect much from the weak. Now, come with me."

Irene slowly got up and rubbed her throbbing cheek. "And if I refuse?"

"Fool. I wasn't asking you or telling you. I ordered you. Now move."

Irene was fuming with rage but she followed anyway. She hated the fact that she couldn't do anything to Red Sapphire. Even if she were to lay a scratch on her, the boss or the other elite guards would kill her in an instant. How could someone have such an aura around them though? Like there was no hope and no point in trying to fight or run from her.

Irene's curiosity got the best of her. "Sapphire?"

Red Sapphire stopped walking and turned around. "What did you call me?"

Irene took a step back. "S-Sapphire?"

Red Sapphire slapped Irene across the face with the back of her shield and sent her flying across the hall and into a wall. "Red Sapphire. You will not address me on a first name basis. Who do you think you are?"

Irene's vision was blurred and she had the wind knocked out of her. Her right side of her body felt like it was broken into pieces. Red Sapphire walked over and pulled her out of the wall and dropped her onto the ground. "Hurry up and get yourself together. I don't have all day."

Irene quickly got up and the two continued walking. Irene was in a lot of pain but she didn't dare mention anything about it. The force of that shield…it didn't even feel like a shield. It felt like a meteor had slammed into her. For a second she felt like she died but that felt like it would be too forgiving from Red Sapphire.

"What were you going to say Irene?" Red Sapphire asked the girl.

Irene had almost forgotten about her question. "How are you so strong…like…what have you gone through out there? In the Badlands?"

Red Sapphire smiled to herself. "Of course. That is what everyone wonders. I'll tell you right now that it's nothing stupid like my family abused me or I was raped or I wanted revenge because my parents died. No, instead I decided to embrace the evil of the Badlands. Everyone out there wishes they could come into the kingdoms but I was tired of hearing all of that. If I was destined to perish out there then so be it. However, I wasn't going down without a fight. When I was 9, I killed an elite guard of the Stormguard. The Stormguard are a small army of special individuals. People that have unique abilities. Think of it like…super powers."

"But that's what a semblance is right?" Irene asked.

Red Sapphire held back her temper as Irene rudely interrupted her but she had a point. "In a way yes. However as a semblance or aura is unique to hunters and huntress', the Stormguard are just normal people with extreme training and heightened senses. The one I killed had this unique weapon." She gestured towards her shield on her left arm. "It may seem like an ordinary shield but it's not. Anyway, I was lucky that the previous owner of this shield was a woman who trusted children just a bit too much. I killed her in her sleep and then took her shield. It was hard to use at first and twice my size but in time I was able to use it and I soon started my killing spree. I wanted to make it clear that I wasn't just some girl with a fancy weapon. I was a woman who would kill anyone at anytime."

Irene didn't have any words for what she was hearing. She decided to stay quiet and just focus on what they were doing. Speaking of which, the two were headed to an area that Irene dared not go.

The elite training grounds.

It wasn't anything special in terms of appearance but the training was extreme and although very few people went through the recruitment process, they all passed. That's what Irene assumed. When they walked outside, there was a fight going on. It looked like an elite was sparring with a new recruit. He was small and didn't seem that strong but he was very fast so he didn't seem to have trouble keeping out of reach of the elite.

The recruit lowered his body to the ground and took a charging stance. Looking dead into the eyes of the elite and she stared back. She failed to notice the recruit grab a fistful of dirt and when he charged her, he threw the dirt into her eyes. She yelled in pain and moved back in an attempt to clear the dirt from her eyes. But the boy was fast and he punched her in the face. The girl landed on the ground unconscious. Apparently the boy had one hell of a left hook.

The boy got on top of the girl and grabbed her left breast. "Well looks like I win. I'm claiming my reward everyone!"

Normally, this was allowed. The elites who were at the bottom of the ranking system allowed this. It made them feel more powerful to take advantage of the woman that were with them. Unfortunately, they weren't aware of the leader. The strongest elite that they had.

In a flash of speed that could put Ruby to shame, Red Sapphire was next to the boy and she picked him up by the throat. Guards and other trainees all gasped and had fear plastered all over their faces. "Young man, state your name. Now."

The boy struggled to speak but spoke nonetheless. "I'm…m-mike…"

Red Sapphire looked at the boys features. "Young aren't you? What were you doing to that woman just now?"

Mike smiled. "Isn't it obvious? I was getting a feel for her. After all…s-she lost. So I w-was gonna rape her."

Red Sapphire smiled. "I see you are taking advantage of rule number 1. The strong take what they want. You are strong because you won yes?" The boy nodded. "Allow me to go over the other four rules. Rule 2, do not ever use other methods of fighting. Cheating is not allowed. Rule number 3, never ever disrespect the elite who are above you in skill or rank. Rule number 4, learn your place. And my personal favorite, Rule number 5, Red Sapphire does not need to follow the rules."

The boys eyes widened in fear. "W-wait! That's not…f-fair!"

Red Sapphire shrugged. "Perhaps. But I made the rules and I also don't care. You won't stop me. Nobody here will stop me." She turned to the crowd of trainees and lower ranked elites. "Since you all decided to watch and some of you would have joined in the raping of this poor girl, I'm killing all of you."

The crowd panicked. Some fell on their knees as they knew it was pointless to run or fight. Others got their weapons ready for a fight.

Red Sapphire smiled. Snapping Mikes neck with little effort, she threw his lifeless body to the side and began slaughtering everyone in the training grounds. Irene couldn't tell where she was or what she was doing but bodies were falling left and right. People were screaming or pleading for forgiveness. Red Sapphire had a look in her eyes. It was like she was in the Badlands all over again. She knew exactly what she was doing. It looked random at who she was choosing to take out but she killed the fastest ones first, then the slower ones and finally the people that could take few hits. It was when the final group of elites left alive surrounded Red Sapphire that Irene saw her shield. At the bottom of the tower shield was a blade that stuck out from it, blood dripping off of elites all charged her at once and Red Sapphire got down and spun a complete circle, cutting all of them in half. She stood up and looked around the field. Everyone but her, Irene and the unconscious girl were dead. She checked her shield for any scratches and nodded as there were none. The blade retreated back into the shield and Red Sapphire turned towards Irene.

In her cold blue eyes, you could see the reflection of the blood stained field. She was flawless. Powerful. Smart. Cunning. Everything. She didn't even get a single drop of blood on her majestic white cloak or hat. She was literally, untouchable.

* * *

 **A/N: And we meet once again friends. See? I told you I'd meet you at the bottom. So we now see someone else that isn't Irene or Liz who is a part of Freedom. Red Sapphire is a woman who will kill anyone in her way, no matter who it is. We also get to see a bit more into Irene's feelings of what happened at the docks with Liz.**

 **But there are still so many questions. Who is the boss? What is Freedom planning on doing with the death of Liz? Will they act on it or simply wait for teams RAIN, RWBY and JNPR to come to them? The final battle is coming soon.**

 **Like it really is. I think there's two more chapters until the big fight that I'm sure most of you have been waiting for. But you know how stories are. Set up this, kill that person, put a box over there, etc.**

 **So I'm curious, how do you all like team RAIN? Pretty cool huh? Anyone? No? Yeah, I figured. Ah, so what? Let's move forward to the next chapter shall we? Onward!**

 **\- CLOUD MARIO**


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19: Broken

Irene and Red Sapphire had finally made it to the boss's office. The unconscious girl that Red Sapphire protected was taken to the medic afterwards. Irene wasn't sure why she would help her out but she dared not pry into her business.

As the two girls stepped in, the boss wasn't surprised to see them. "Ladies. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Irene rolled her eyes and Red Sapphire smiled. "My oh my, someone's in a good mood?"

The boss shrugged. "You could say that."

Irene sat in a chair in front of the boss. Red Sapphire took her place next to the boss's side. He cleared his throat. "Irene. Red Sapphire. Tonight you will retrieve a target from Beacon Academy. Preferably alive but if they die I don't care."

Irene tensed up. _Oh god no…Ruby…_

"The target," the boss continued. "Is a girl. 18 years of age and is connected to Ratchet."

Red Sapphire and Irene gave each other puzzled looks. "Sir…that could be Yang, Pyrrha, Blake, Weiss or Nora." Red Sapphire said.

"Indeed. Your point?"

"Which one of them?"

He shrugged again. "I could care less. He is romantically involved with Pyrrha yes? Well then go after her. Though if you cannot, any of the others will do as well. He cares too much for his comrades. Use that to your advantage."

Red Sapphire saluted. "Yes sir! Irene let's move." Making her way past Irene she glanced over at the table by the wall which had two devices on it.

The boss smiled. "I see you noticed my new toys. Take it with you. Those two are the only ones we have but it will be put to great use. After tonight, we will launch Operation MoonLight on Friday, six days from now. Make sure to give them the coordinates for each of the glyph locations."

Irene raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"We want them to show up that's why." The boss said. He spun his chair around so he faced the window and looked up at the moon. "A new age will begin. It would be a shame if our VIP's didn't show up wouldn't you agree?"

Irene nodded and headed out with Red Sapphire. As the two walked out of the office and down the hall, Red Sapphire chuckled a bit.

"What's so funny?" Irene asked.

"Nothing much." She replied. "I just love the way that man thinks. Anyway, let's get to Beacon. I'm ready to try out these devices."

 _Beacon Academy_

Ratchet moved about slightly in his sleep. He wasn't having the best of dreams at the moment. He slowly opened his eyes and was graced with the beautiful sight of Pyrrha's sleeping face. He remembered that the two were watching a movie and fell asleep together. Quietly, Ratchet hopped out of the bed and put on his trusty red and black boots. Giving Pyrrha a quick kiss on the forehead, he headed out of the JNPR dorm room.

Walking around at this time was against the rules but Ratchet was a rebel in the first place so even if he were to get in trouble, Lady Luck was always there to bail him out. Though he was sure she was tired of it already. Rounding the corner at the end of the hall, he bumped into a small girl. The small girl made an almost inaudible yelp as she fell to the ground.

Ratchet wasn't phased since the girl was so small but he did feel a sense of déjà vu. Looking at the girl, he froze.

It was Neo.

Neo slowly stood back up and glared at Ratchet. Ratchet just stared at her. After recovering from slight shock, he spoke up. "Neo? Just…why are you here?"

Neo stuck out her tongue and didn't bother pulling out her scroll to text him why. Ratchet noticed she wasn't wearing just her normal clothes. She also had a black jacket on. A jacket he knew all too well.

He put two and two together. "So you came to take Ivin's clothes huh? Well it's not like he can't get more."

Neo nodded and moved passed him. _Guess she's leaving. I should follow her but somehow I think I would regret it._ Ratchet watched the small girl walk down the hall and turn the corner. Sure enough, that's the way to the entrance so he let her be for now. Making his way to the RAIN dorm, he opened it and saw his three teammates awake.

"About time." Anna said with a yawn.

"Welcome back. Have you seen my jacket?" Ivin asked while he looked through his closet.

"Oh please. You can buy a better one. So what's up dude?" Nick asked leaning back in a chair.

Ratchet sighed. "Sorry for what I did a few days ago at the docks. I…I don't know what came over me. What I did wasn't me and it wasn't the right thing to do either."

His team looked at him and shrugged.

"Figured." Ivin said.

"No duh sherlock. We were just shocked and a bit disturbed." Anna said with another yawn.

"You had everyone worried bro." Nick said.

Ratchet had a smile on his face. "Glad we are all on the same page. Why are you all up? It's like midnight."

Anna just groaned. "Sadly no. It's only 11:30. Can't sleep. Not sure about Nick and Ivin."

Ivin pulled out another coat that was the exact same as the one Neo took. "I felt a disturbance. Turns out, my coat was taken."

Nick shrugged. "Been working on Zeus and the suit."

"Ah." Ratchet said as he walked over to his bed. Before he hopped on though he saw a flash from the corner of his eye. Looking outside, he saw two figures in the courtyard in front of the school. _Neo? No…those two are taller._ Suddenly, the two started running towards the entrance of the school. Turning to his team, Ratchet picked up his gauntlets and shield. "I think we got trouble."

 _Meanwhile..._

Red Sapphire and Irene made it to Beacon using one of the new devices the boss let them use. "Well then, this will help. Irene tell me, which one of the girls does Ratchet care for the most besides Pyrrha?" Red Sapphire asked while she checked their surroundings.

Irene thought about it. "I'd have to say Yang or Ruby? But he cares and loves everyone the same. Even if he has a different way of showing his feelings for everyone."

Red Sapphire smiled. "Perhaps Pyrrha Nikos and…Ruby Rose." She noticed Irene tense up and her smile grew larger. "Do you have a problem with my decision? If so don't be afraid to speak up."

Irene gritted her teeth. She knew Red Sapphire wanted her to give her a reason to fight. "N-no…lets just get this over with."

Red Sapphire nodded and the two began to quickly make their way into the school. Irene was fast due to her Grimm half but she was slower than Red Sapphire by a long shot. She had a little trouble keeping up with her. The two stealthily made their way through the halls until they found the team JNPR dorm.

Bypassing the scanner to unlock the door with her scroll, Red Sapphire looked at Irene. "Take Nikos. I'm going after Ruby. In and out got it? No more, no less."

Irene hesitantly nodded and watched Red Sapphire make her way across from the JNPR dorm to the RWBY dorm. Turning back to her objective, Irene slowly entered the room and made her way to Pyrrha. Placing the second device on Pyrrha's chest so it was above her heart, she picked her up slowly and made her way outside. Truth be told, she wasn't sure what the device did. Red Sapphire was already ahead of her outside the room.

The two were nearly by the entrance doors until they saw team RAIN.

Stopping dead in their tracks, Red Sapphire chuckled. "And here I thought this was going to be a walk in the park."

Ivin gripped his sword tighter. "That voice…you couldn't be. Red Sapphire?"

"In the flesh. How do you know me pretty boy?"

"You'd be surprised about all the information my company wields." Ivin replied.

Red Sapphire yawned. "No I wouldn't. Anyway step aside. Or I will kill you."

Ratchet noticed she was carrying Ruby. "Not a chance. You have a friend of ours and…" Ratchet finally saw Irene and was surprised that she was holding Pyrrha. He gritted his teeth and narrowed his eyes. "Let her go now!"

Irene took a step back. "Back off Ratchet! We don't want to hurt you!"

Red Sapphire scoffed. "Speak for yourself. Either we kill them now or later. The way I see it, they are in the way so let's kill them now."

Pyrrha and Ruby were slowly starting to wake up due to all the noise everyone was making. Ruby wasn't sure what was going on but she didn't feel like she was in her bed anymore. Her arms were also dangling. Soon, she realized she was over someone's shoulder. Looking over at Pyrrha, she also was in someone's arms.

 _Irene?!_ Ruby had no idea what was going on but she heard the voices of her friends.

"So help me…if you hurt her!" Ratchet growled.

Red Sapphire slowly walked towards the team. "Stop me then. Or were you talking about Pyrrha?"

As she made her way to the team, they could do nothing but just watch. None of them moved. If they focused on her, she may use Ruby as a shield and Irene may get away. If they moved to Irene, she may kill Ruby or just get away with her. They were trapped. And all Red Sapphire had to do was walk out the doors.

Irene slowly followed and Red Sapphire made sure to keep an eye on the team so they didn't try to do anything stupid. Team RAIN had no idea what to do. They were all frozen. They have never felt such an aura surround someone like that.

Ratchet had no idea what he should do, but then he saw Ruby and Pyrrha awake and neither of them knew what to do. Without thinking, Ratchet charged toward Pyrrha. "Let her go!"

Red Sapphire laughed. "Oh and we were so close to getting away!" She threw Ruby onto the ground and charged Ratchet. Getting in his face rather quickly, she slammed her shield into his body and sent him flying into the side of the school. The cracking sound that came afterwards was from the wall and his ribs. Ratchet fell to the ground on his hands and knees as he coughed up blood.

Ivin and Nick charged Irene and Red Sapphire as well while Anna made her way to Ruby. Irene wasn't sure what to do and Pyrrha squirmed in her grasp, enough to get out of her arms and roll away. Pyrrha tried using her semblance on Red Sapphire's shield but when she tried, the device on her heart beeped and shocked her, making her cry out in pain.

Ratchet heard Pyrrha in pain and fought through his own pain to slowly get up and back into the fight. Ivin and Nick were having trouble with Red Sapphire. She was able to deflect all the blows from Nick's hammer and used the blade from her shield to counter and slice away Ivin's aura.

After repeating the same process over and over, the two boys backed away from her. Red Sapphire stood there confused. "Really? And here I thought you were all exceptionally strong. Guess I was wrong." She turned around to block Anna's attempt at a sneak attack but Irene grabbed the girl and threw her away like she was a football.

Ruby made her way over to Pyrrha who was on the ground in pain from the electric shock. "Pyrrha! Speak to me!" She saw the device on Pyrrha counting down. The timer had 3:43 on it and was going down slowly. "Guys!"

"Ruby get Pyrrha out of here and run! Go get help!" Nick yelled.

Ruby held Pyrrha in her arms. "T-there's something on her! I think it's a bomb!"

Everyone turned to the Ruby. "A bomb?!"

Red Sapphire clenched her fist. "Just what does that fool have in mind?" Irritated, she calmed her mind and gave it a thought. "Oh...I see."

Irene had no idea the device was a bomb and had no words for what she had done. Red Sapphire pushed her way past Irene and kicked Ruby to the side making the young girl cry out in pain. She picked Pyrrha up by the neck. "Team RAIN! You have a choice!" Red Sapphire placed her bladed shield inches above Ruby's neck and also started choking Pyrrha. "Pyrrha or Ruby?"

Everyone stared at her with wide eyes. Everyone but Ratchet. He was in immense pain and didn't have time to consider his options. The timer on the bomb was at 2:40 and going. He needed to act. Getting his shield out, he slowly made his way to Red Sapphire.

"Ratchet wait!" Irene yelled. "I'm sorry! I didn't know it was a bomb!"

Ratchet gritted his teeth. He didn't care. "I…choose…" Red Sapphire raised an eyebrow at the young man in front of her. "I choose both of them!"

Ratchet slammed the shield on the ground which caused some dirt to rise up between the two and used Fire shot at point blank range. Red Sapphire had no choice but to use her shield to block it. As she did, Ratchet slammed his fist on the ground, creating a shockwave through the area around him. This attack would normally break the legs of everyone on the ground near him but Ruby was laying down so she was safe, the others weren't close enough and as for Red Sapphire, she had placed her shield into the ground and stood on top of it.

Throwing Pyrrha to the side, she quickly moved toward Ratchet and grabbed his shield, slapping him across the face with it and kicked him away towards his friends. Quickly making her way back to Pyrrha, Red Sapphire checked the time.

There was only 42 seconds left.

Red Sapphire shrugged. "I have no use for miss Rose. As for Pyrrha, she's dead. Irene I'm guessing you were going to try and betray me before I used the device to warp back to base." Irene froze up at her words. "Typical but not surprising. Tell them where the glyphs are located." With that, Red Sapphire warped back to base.

Everyone didn't know what to do. Nobody moved except for Ratchet and Pyrrha. The two of them got up from where they were on the ground. "Pyrrha!" Ratchet called out to her.

Pyrrha saw the timer. 30 seconds left. She looked behind her and saw the edge of the cliff. There was no other choice. Looking back at Ratchet, she couldn't hold back her tears. "I love you."

Pyrrha started sprinting toward the edge of the cliff. Ratchet followed immediately but his friends tried stopping him.

"No!"

"Idiot! Stop!"

"Ratchet don't!"

He ignored all of them. _No! No! NO!_ Ratchet pushed himself even harder as he tried catching up to Pyrrha but his injuries weren't helping and she was almost there. This can't be happening! Ratchet saw Pyrrha stop at the edge and take one last look at him. She smiled and blew him a kiss.

Then she went over.

Ratchet's eyes widened and he moved even faster towards the cliff side but it was too late. When he got there, the device exploded and created a blackish purple hole in the air and slowly collapsed in on itself. The force of the blast sent him back a few feet.

He got up and just starred at the edge of the cliff. Slowly making his way over, he fell to his knees and started crying. Then he noticed something through his tears. A single strain of long red hair was on the ground. Ratchet picked it up and clenched it in his fist.

"No…" Ratchet said quietly. Then, not holding back, he smashed his fist into the ground, cracking the earth around him and making his friends fall to the ground even though they were all so far away.

"NO! NOOO!" He screamed into the air. Ratchet cried and released his fury into the ground, shaking the earth and cracking it even more. "FUUUUUUCK!"

The water all the way by the base of the cliff was rippling from the force of his furious strength, the glass of dorm room windows cracked or shattered from the backlash of wind that came from the force of impact. All the while Ratchet couldn't hold back his tears or his rage.

He had officially lost all meaning of life at this point.

Ratchet was now a broken man. And nothing would ever change that fact.

* * *

 **A/N: Soo...that happened. Yes I'm afraid it's true, Pyrrha Nikos is dead but she will forever be in our hearts. But is that enough for Ratchet? He's known loss before, since he thought Irene died during the Grimm invasion. It was tough and she was a close friend but losing someone that you love romantically?**

 **Not good. At all. Like ever.**

 **In the coming chapters, you will see what happenes to our dear hero of justice. Will he be broken forever? And what of Freedom? How will everyone react to this?**

 **Who knows.**

 **I would also like for you all to know that it means a lot so many people have actually bothered to read this.**

 **No really. It's actually kinda surprising.**

 **For those who have been here since chapter 1...I would give you a cookie but I am hella broke. For those that have just joined recently, I'm hella broke and still cannot give you a cookie.**

 **Sorry about that. Maybe next time I swear.**

 **Anyway, be ready for more surprises and (after waiting a long time) some secrets to be told. The Legend Of RAIN is not over just yet...**

 **\- CLOUD MARIO**


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20: I'll Always Be With You

Everything changed. Nobody was the same anymore. The students of Beacon Academy had been sent home for an entire month due to official business. The true reason was only known to the professors and teams RAIN, RWBY and JNR.

The passing of Pyrrha Nikos wasn't easy on any of them. The day after her death, Ivin and Anna took Irene to professor Ozpin. Calmly but sadly, Ivin explained everything that happened. Ozpin slowly understood as he was told of what was going on. However, he was more concerned with the health and mentality of Ratchet.

Ratchet hadn't moved from the edge of the cliff side. He'd been there all day and hasn't eaten or slept. He just starred out into nothingness. His friends tried comforting him but he couldn't see them or hear them. He wasn't in his right mind anymore. He was just a shell of his former self now.

Irene had stayed behind with the group and hasn't returned to Freedom yet. Though she keeps her distance from everyone since this was her fault. She stuck that bomb onto Pyrrha and now she's dead along with Ratchet's soul. Looking up at the moon, she saw it got bigger. It was getting closer.

 _What's the point anymore…_ she thought to herself.

Another day passed. Ratchet still hasn't moved. Irene has already told everyone about Operation MoonLight launching in four days but nobody seemed to care. They were all so…broken. Like nothing would matter. Ruby was the only one who seemed to smile through all this sadness and depression. Though the smile looked forced half the time.

Another day. He hasn't moved an inch. It was almost like he was a statue. Birds were even on his shoulders just sitting there. He hasn't moved, slept or eaten and nobody was going to help him. Everyone was practically dead now. He had lost everything he cared about and now he could only see corpses. Nothing but shadows of those he couldn't protect.

Another day passed.

Ratchet was finally reaching his limit. His empty shell of a body fell over on its side. The birds that had sat on his head and shoulders scattered and left him. He didn't even react to his body screaming at him for food or for the need of sleep or fluids to keep hydrated. Ignoring them all, he just starred out into the nothingness.

It was when the sun shined on a shiny silver object and made his eye twitch that he shifted his lifeless gaze. On the ground a few inches away from him was the gift he got from Ivin that he would've gave to Pyrrha after all of this madness was over.

The wedding ring.

Ratchet reached out for it and held it in his hand. His body hurt and felt tensed for not moving for three days. All he could do was stare at the ring and nothing else. Thoughts went through his empty mind but they were forgotten as quickly as they came so he payed little attention to them. But suddenly, he remembered three words.

 _I love you…_

Those were the last words she said to him. He didn't even have time to say it back to her. He regretted everything he did now. It was never enough. No matter what he did, people always died because of him and he had to watch and live on while they died because of his weakness. He was tired of all of it. He was tired of having to shoulder all of this pain and regret and sorrow. He just wanted it to end.

Then, an idea popped into his head. Ratchet looked over the cliffs edge. _This drop probably wouldn't kill a hunter so easily…but since I'm literally running on fumes, I should die the second I hit the water._ Ratchet wasn't a person who supported suicide by any means but at this point, that was the only way to end all of his pain.

Slowly, he tried to crawl over the edge but his foot was grabbed by two small hands. Turning over, he saw Ruby trying to hold him back.

"N-no!" She cried out with tears in her eyes. "I can't lose you too Ratchet!"

Ratchet still couldn't really hear her. A few days just sitting in one spot and shutting of your mind would do that to a person. He decided to try again and fall off the cliff but Ruby pulled out Crescent Rose and stuck the blade into the ground so she had something to hang onto to. Normally, Ruby wouldn't be able to stop him with just strength but he had no power left from lack of food and sleep.

"R-Ruby…please…" Ratchet said slowly, it was almost inaudible since he was so thirsty. "Let me go. I don't want to be here anymore."

Ruby used all her strength to slowly but surely pull Ratchet from the cliff side. "No! Never!"

Ratchet tried to over power her but it failed miserably. "Why…?"

Once he was pulled far enough away, Ruby got in front of him and pulled him into a tight hug. "Because you mean so much to me. To everyone here…you can't leave us!"

Ratchet heard her sobbing and he felt a sudden sharp pain from within. It was a feeling he hadn't felt since it last happened but he knew it all to well. It was his heart breaking. The last time this happened was after the arena match with Yang and Ivin. Pyrrha was crying and it hurt Ratchet more than the wound in his chest. Slowly, he sat up and looked Ruby in the eyes.

"Ruby…" She tried holding back her tears as she looked up at him. "I didn't mean to make you cry. I just…I don't know if I can go on." Ratchet coughed and gagged a little as he tried to form long sentences.

"You aren't the only one who's in pain Ratchet. We all are. You don't have to be alone." Ruby gave him another hug and he hugged her back. "This wasn't your fault. It wasn't Irene's fault either. Freedom did all of this."

It was after Ruby said that that Ratchet felt a spark within him. A fire he knew would burn until he was satisfied. Slowly standing up, he looked off towards the school to see all of his friends standing by the entrance. They all waved at him with small smiles. They were all sad but it looks like Ruby was able to cheer them all up slightly.

Ratchet held out his hand for the young huntress and she took it. Lifting her up, he smiled a bit. "Thanks Ruby. Pyrrha wouldn't want me, no, she wouldn't want _us_ to just let the world end."

Ruby smiled. "I'll always be with you Ratchet. Don't worry, we'll get through this together."

After lifting Ruby up from the ground, the two walked together towards the school. In his other hand was the ring and he placed it back in his pocket. Another memory came to him at this moment, it was when Pyrrha had helped him with her own words of comfort.

 _'Loss is always hard. But you aren't alone. Your friends and team are here for you. Never forget that.'_

The thought made him feel comfort. "Thank you, Ruby. For everything."

"Anytime Ratchet. Anytime."


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21: Placing The Pieces On The Board

Everyone wasn't comfortable with Irene in the room. She also didn't find it very pleasant. She just wanted to get this over with as quickly as possible and then figure out what she would do from there. Irene had already marked where the five glyphs were located and where the Freedom hideout was. Ivin was looking it over and used his scroll to get a feed from some drones that he had surveying the area.

"So…" Irene said to try and get a conversation going with all her former friends but the dirty looks she received from all of them, besides Ruby, told her to just stay quiet.

After a couple more minutes, Ivin confirmed that the glyphs were in the marked locations and Freedom was hidden in what could be an abandoned factory in the outskirts of Vale, almost outside of the kingdoms walls.

"This information is solid." Ivin told everyone. "It's just…I don't understand these massive glyphs. They look different and highly advanced compared to the ones we're used to seeing." Ivin showed Weiss the photos and she looked over them.

"That is strange. I've never heard or seen anything like these before. And they are huge…" Said Weiss.

Nick turned to Irene. "Do you know anything about them?"

Irene nodded. "I overheard one of the guards mention it once. Gravity glyphs. Basically, they can manipulate gravity. In this case, it's going to pull the moon into Remnant and kill all of us."

Yang cracked her knuckles. "Well? What are we waiting for? Let's go get the bad guys!"

Ratchet shook his head. "It's not that simple." Everyone gave him questionable looks. "These glyphs are huge. Freedom is also apparently huge, if Irene's word can be trusted. The way I see it, we can either all go and try to destroy the glyphs or we can attack Freedom directly."

Anna sighed. "Can't we just, oh I don't know, do both? There's plenty of us."

Ren shook his head. "We could be walking into a trap if we do that. Knowing this, would it still be wise to split up?"

Ratchet turned to Ivin. "Please tell me you have something to help."

Ivin shrugged. "Sorry. Nothing on my end except for my blade. Trust me, if I had a bomb or two at my facility then I'd use it in a heartbeat."

Irene raised her Grimm arm. "We have me right?" Everyone turned to Irene and she felt like she shouldn't have said that.

"Because you know, that's helped out sooo much." Anna said, clearly annoyed.

Irene ignored Anna's comment. "Look…I know I caused you all so much pain and trouble but I'm sorry. I just had to do it…he didn't give me a choice."

"Who's he?" Ivin asked.

Irene shook her head. "It's my boss. Well, ex boss. I don't know his name. Nobody does." Irene looked at Ratchet. "But Liz told me once that he's doing this because of you Ratchet."

Everyone gasped and looked at Ratchet who was confused. "What? I don't even know this guy. Honestly outside of all of you, I don't know many people."

Irene shrugged. "When we face him then you can ask him yourself."

Ivin clapped his hands together, gathering everyone's attention. "We don't have a whole lot of time. The way I see it, teams RWBY and JNR should handle the four massive glyphs. Meanwhile, team RAIN will raid the Freedom hideout. Irene, you assist JNR."

Everyone seemed on board with the idea and they all hurried to get their gear while Ivin called for a private jet.

Nora was actually the only person ready right away and decided to talk to Ratchet real quick as he was headed to the showers. "Ratchet!"

Ratchet turned around. "Nora? What's up? I'm about to shower before we go so can this be quick?"

Nora nodded quickly. "Sure, no problem! Anyway you know what would be super cool?" Nora paused for dramatic effect. "A team thingy!"

"I'm sorry…what?"

Nora jumped up and down with excitement. "A team thingy! Like before you guys fight you should be all like, here comes the storm! Or maybe something like, bring it on!"

Ratchet got what she was saying. "Oh. So like a catchphrase. Hm…that would be cool. I'll think about it Nora. And…thanks."

Nora cocked her head. "For what?"

"This warm fuzzy feeling I have right now. You're funny and I needed something to make me feel good. Thanks."

Nora saluted. "No problem!" She then stuck out her tongue and ran off to join Ren and Jaune.

 _Freedom hideout..._

The halls were filled with the sounds of soldiers moving about as they were preparing for team RAIN and company to attack them. Red Sapphire had made sure to place extra elites at the four glyphs but she kept her top three elites by her side. Red Sapphire knew she could take on all of team RAIN but she wanted to see how her top three would do against them.

Red Sapphire sat in her room as she studied the information she made on her elites one more time. It was always wise to set the pieces into place before actually playing the game. She pulled out three files and read them to herself staring with the one to the far right.

 _Swift, age unknown, male. Has the ability to move faster than Ruby Rose and can leave a copy of himself while he becomes virtually invisible as he moves about. Oddly enough, the copy can do anything the original can so simply attacking it would be just a waste of energy. Not best at distance fighting but usually comes out on top when in close range. However, whenever I spar with him he gets too cocky and takes unnecessary risks. Although he has the speed to endure a fight, he doesn't have the brain to think ahead. It should also be noted that whenever he pushes himself to hard, he may cause a so called…rift. The boss said the rift was likely a crack in time and should not be tampered with._

Red Sapphire sat there thinking over the notes on Swift. She sighed at the mention of the rift. Honestly, time was something she didn't care about nor did she want to mess with. It would be best to put him with Anna since she doesn't seem to be combat efficient with her scythe. But one lucky hit and the boy may get cut in half. Nick would also be a suitable opponent but only if he's not in his mech armor. Red Sapphire continued reading her notes.

 _Firebreak, around 22 years of age, female. Has the ability to cause explosions anywhere, so long as she can see, without much effort involved. Her damage output is very high even compared to me. She lacks a strong defense but she isn't helpless at close range either. Blocking her vision will easily screw with her abilities and force her to go on the defensive until she is able to get clear vision again. Firebreak tends to do well with taunting others and is not easily baited into losing situations._

Red Sapphire smiled at her notes on Firebreak. She was only the third strongest elite but she was extremely dangerous. At one point, it almost felt like she had a bond with the young girl. Like a mother and daughter relationship…until she tried to take the number one spot. A foolish attempt but those who challenge Red Sapphire must learn the hard way and that was that. Moving her gaze to the finally page, she frowned slightly at the second strongest elite.

 _Specter, age unknown, gender unknown. Specter is always wearing a black helmet which scrambles the voice so it is unclear if it is feminine or masculine. Furthermore, Specter is always wearing armor and although it may look like a male suit, it is highly possible it could be either. Specter's abilities are clearly from military training. Perhaps special forces? Specter has mentioned that they don't have special abilities but I disagree. I feel Specter's ability is invisibility or heightened senses. Whatever the case, Specter forms exceptionally well in all fighting. Close, mid and long range combat is of no concern and Specter has almost given Swift a run for his money in a race. Firebreak has never been able to scratch Specter in sparring matches and she always loses. Specter was even able to get in a scratch on me once however the small victory was short lived due to it being a suicidal attack. Specter is lucky that it was just a sparring match to test their abilities, else Specter would be dead._

Red Sapphire didn't particularly like the fact that she had almost no concrete information on Specter but it was of no concern. The boss trusted all the elites and knew that if any of them were actually dumb enough to betray Freedom, he would see to them personally. Specter could fight anyone from RAIN. Firebreak would be best against Nick if he is in his mech suit. That means Swift will handle Ratchet and she would personally handle Ivin. Red Sapphire smiled. It had been too long since she felt this way about a fight.

Getting up from her desk, Red Sapphire equipped her trusty shield, checked for any scratches and nodded with a smile as none were on it. Then she went to gather her elite three before the final battle.

 _Ivin's fancy private jet…_

"You ok Ratchet?" Ivin asked with a smug smile.

"Shut up."

Ivin shrugged. "It's ok. I understand. I mean I have the better looks, the money, the private jet and, oh! Did I mention the jet?"

Ratchet grew more irritated and jealous of his friend as he made sure to rub it in that his life was a million times better than his own. "Shut up Ivin."

Anna looked at the information that had been on Ivin's scroll about the Freedom hideout. "This place is pretty huge. You think we really should've dropped off the others?"

Nick nodded. "Even if it's huge we can handle it."

Immediately after Nick said that, Ratchet stood up. "That's what she said!"

Nick groaned and Ratchet was laughing hard as he believed he got Nick good. Anna and Ivin sighed.

"Well even if we are having second thoughts, we already dropped the others off at the two closest glyphs. We can't really just go back and get them because the hideout is too big." Ivin said as he checked on the fuel gauges of the jet.

Anna put down Ivin's scroll on the seat next to her. "Yeah I guess so. Man this is gonna suck."

Nick frowned. "I just hope everyone makes it out of this."

"Don't worry." Ratchet said with a leader like tone in his voice. Anna and Nick looked over at him and Ivin turned his head to see him looking outside the window and at the passing clouds. "We all have a strong bond. That bond will keep all of us together. I can feel it."

"Cheesy." Said Anna.

"Yeah come on. Nothing original for us?" Nick said disappointed.

Ivin shrugged. "It was ok."

Ratchet shoulders slumped. "Ugh. You guys are the worst." Everyone laughed at that point. Moments like these are what made this team strong. It's what made this team work out no matter what they were up against. Despite their differences and not so good teamwork, they've remained good friends for a long time. Ratchet was also feeling better about Pyrrha. It still hurt but he was slowly getting better and right now he had to stay focused so everyone can make it out of this.

Ratchet suddenly remembered his conversation with Nora back at the school."By the way, we have a catchphrase." Ratchet said, gathering the others attention again.

"Oh no." Nick said. "What have you done?"

Ratchet smiled. "Oh nothing. I just had an idea and we are gonna do it. It'll be cool. I swear."

Ivin rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to piloting the jet. After another five minutes, the Freedom hideout was in view. "Everyone ready?"

Ratchet, Anna and Nick all said yes as they went to the end of the jet and prepared to jump out. Ivin set the jet on a course to smash into the hangar bay and set it to auto pilot then headed to the back with the others as he pressed a button to lower the ramp.

"I'm gonna miss this jet." He muttered.

Ratchet patted his back. "Come on dude. It's us! We always make our presence known."

Ivin sighed. "Well I guess that's true. As much as I wish it wasn't."

The group counted to seven before jumping out of the jet. As they were falling out of the sky, they watched as the jet made its way into the side of the building creating a massive hole into the wall and exploded in the inside of the base, which caused smaller explosions on the inside. The building seemed like it may burn down with all the fire that was inside but not anytime soon so team RAIN still has plenty of time to finish the job.

 _Freedom hideout..._

Bert was his name. He was just your ordinary soldier that worked for Freedom. He was a new recruit, no older then 16 but he lied about his age. He had only been here about a week or two. He had made some friends and obviously seen the beautiful yet crazy killer elite Red Sapphire and of course, he heard the legends. He believed all of them and he wasn't gonna try and invoke her wrath today or any other day. Though he did want to try and become an elite. That'd be cool.

Now Bert was making his way to the dust crates that were collecting, well, dust. He needed to move them before the so called raid would begin. Honestly, Bert didn't believe team RAIN would come. After what happened to the leaders girlfriend, he couldn't imagine anyone having the strength to go on.

Suddenly a massive bulk of metal came crashing through the wall in the opposite direction of him. The sound of metal screeching across the concrete and people screaming were all too much at first but Bert's training kicked in and he rolled out of the way of the massive object heading towards him. Getting out of the way and gaining some distance, he realized it was a plane. Or rather a jet. On the side of it was some graffiti. Bert squinted his eyes to see.

 _EAT SHIT BETCH_

Bert was taken aback by the message and even the misspelling of the word bitch. Also there was no exclamation mark at the end. Bert was confused at what was going on but he saw everyone around him helping the wounded and gathering guns or armor. Suddenly, the crates of dust that were all piled together exploded from the flames that surrounded the jet. Ice, Fire, and Lightning splashed about the area, killing a few people and causing flames to erupt around the ground. The building would surely catch fire unless it was dealt with at some point.

"W-who could've done this!" Bert yelled out in frustration.

"Over there! It's them!" A voice called out.

Everyone that could fight made their way over to the massive hole to see four figures standing there. As Bert made his way, he pulled out his sidearm and made sure it was loaded. Making his way through the massive crowd of soldiers, Bert was able to get front row seats to the four people that dared challenge all of Freedom. Bert's eyes widened at the sight of them and their weapons. Gasps and murmurs spread like wildfire throughout the mass of soldiers. Some even stepped back as they saw the small girl reveal her massive glowing scythe.

Bert was amazed at the sight of the four people that stared at the massive crowd, clearly not afraid of what may happen to them if they fight. Ratchet, Anna, Ivin and Nick. These were the four people that made team RAIN. These were the four that Freedom needed to take out as fast as possible in order for Operation MoonLight to succeed.

Bert raised his voice so he could be heard by everyone. "How dare you!" He raised his gun at the four and they just stared at him. "You think we will let you get away with this?! Well?!"

It was clear Bert was angry but he got angrier when all they did was shrug. Bert was about to pull the trigger and start the fight before Ratchet raised his hand.

"Could one of you say like, 'look out! It's team RAIN!' I need to do the thing."

The soldiers all looked at one another, clearly confused but one of them did it. "Uh…look out! It's…team RAIN!"

Ratchet smiled and had a determined look in his eyes. "You know what that means don't you?" He paused for dramatic effect. _Oh man! This is such a cool catchphrase!_ He breathed in slowly before saying team RAIN's official catchphrase. "Storm's a commin!"

* * *

 **A/N: And so team RAIN has finally made it to the secret Freedom base. What will happen next? What of these three elites with Red Sapphire? How strong are they and what will become of our heroes?**

 **Why hello there. I'm surprised that this story has gotten a decent amount of attention. Thank you everyone.**

 **There are only 9 chapters left. What will happen? Will everyone make it out alive? Will Operation MoonLight be stopped? Will Freedom continue their plans even after their plans are stopped? Who is the boss?!**

 **Dont worry. You'll find out. Until next time.**

 **\- CLOUD MARIO**


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N: Sorry for the short chapter. But you know, build up to the real battle and all that jazz.**

* * *

Chapter 22: Raid On The Hangar

"What?"

Ratchet looked off into the crowd of soldiers. "What do you mean what?! That was so cool!"

"What was cool?" Someone else called out.

Ratchet was dumbfounded. He turned to his team. "Guys come on. That was cool."

Anna scratched the back of her head. "Was it though?"

"Yeah…no." Nick said.

Ivin slowly pulled out his blade. "I don't know why I thought it would be really cool. That was terrible."

Ratchet felt betrayed. "You guys are the worst!"

"HEY!" Ratchet turned around to the one guy standing with a gun pointed at them. "What is wrong with you?!"

"Uh…wat?" Ratchet said confused.

Bert grew angrier at his stupidity. "Fuck it! Everyone, lets kill them!" With a resounding cheer they all raised their guns and fired.

Ivin and Anna reacted fast enough and deployed their counter measure. Ratchet and Nick got behind them and prepared their own attack. Ivin made a circle of fire in the air quickly and Anna spun her scythe rapidly so the fire was caught onto her blade and it formed a mid air shield of flames so long as she spun her scythe. As all of the bullets reached the flame shield, they were incinerated immediately and caused no damage to any of them. The soldiers were unaware of what was happening so they continued to fire their weapons. Eventually though, they all had to reload.

Anna and Ivin dashed toward the crowd of soldiers. A few of them pulled out their swords or sidearms and decided to engage the two. Meanwhile, Ratchet had armored up and was inside of Nick's cannon.

"You ready?!" Nick called out as he aimed the cannon.

"This is gonna be so fucking cool!" Ratchet called out.

Taking that as a yes, Nick fired the cannon and sent Ratchet flying. Those who weren't trying to fend of Anna and Ivin saw him and fired their weapons but his armor protected him from the bullets. Nearing his landing spot, Ratchet charged his fist and slammed it onto the ground right in the middle of the massive horde of enemies. Bodies flew up in the air and were immediately shot to bits by Nick's cannon fire all the way back by the hole. Ratchet stood up and cracked his neck before getting into a fight with some big guys that didn't seem phased by his attack.

Anna was cutting through the soldiers like they were cheese. Ivin backed her up whenever she was about to be attacked from behind or from a sniper or two above them on the second floor. Ivin summoned Dragons Breath and told it to spread more fire around the hangar. The beast did just that but focused on reinforcements that tried coming from all around the railings above.

"For fuck's sake!" Anna yelled in frustration. "They don't stop coming!"

Once again, Ratchet heard and knew it was his time to shine. "That's what she said!" He was knocked to the ground by one of the big guys due to him focusing on the joke rather than fighting. The big guy ripped off Ratchet's faceplate on his helmet and went to bash his face in. Ratchet caught the beefy fist in his hand and struggled to keep it from smashing his teeth in. Around him, others were preparing to unleash another round of bullets on him. Without his faceplate, he was sure one of them would get him.

Before they were ready, the soldiers were incinerated by the dragon that Ivin summoned and it swallowed the big guy on Ratchet, which also burned him alive inside of the beasts mouth. Ratchet got up and wiped the ash off his armor. "Well done beast!"

Nick noticed the incoming waves of enemies that just didn't stop coming. Nick pulled out his signal flare and shot it outside the hole. It would take some time but his mech should be here before things get serious. He hoped anyway.

"ENOUGH!" A strong voice filled the hangar and echoed off the walls. Even Dragons Breath stopped it's rampage. Everyone turned their attention to the four figures slowly making their way to the center of the hangar.

The soldiers all saluted or took a knee for their superiors. Meanwhile, team RAIN regrouped and awaited the four elites.

"Ratchet…" Ivin said slowly.

Ratchet clenched his fists and tried to control his rage. "Red Sapphire…"

Red Sapphire made her way over to team RAIN with her own team. Red Sapphire knew they had no idea who these three were but they would learn in good time. Her cloak flowed in the wind amongst the scorching flames that scattered the battlefield. Firebreak breathed in the smoke and felt at bliss with it. Specter didn't seem to care and wasn't phased by it because of the mask. Swift gagged.

Finally, the four elites stood across from team RAIN. It was quiet besides the roar of flames. Dragons Breath had reached its limit and disappeared. The eight that stood there in the center of the hangar all had their own auras around them. The soldiers had no words and decided it may be best to get out of there as quick as possible.

Red Sapphire looked Ratchet up and down with a curious look. "Well I'm surprised. One would think you would still be too depressed in order to fight."

"I am. But that part can come after I kick your ass." He replied with much angry in his voice.

"You seem like a liability. Pathetic." Firebreak said to Nick.

Nick shrugged. "You seem like you haven't gotten laid. Pathetic."

"You're a shorty." Swift said to Anna.

"W-what?! Oh you fucker you are so dead." Anna gritted her teeth.

Ivin and Specter just stared at one another. Ivin was having trouble trying to read Specter. It was strange. Specter seemed familiar but Ivin knew for a fact he knew nobody like this. He would remember this uneasy feeling if he did.

Red Sapphire smiled at the situation. "Well this has been a nice little session. Shall we begin the fight of the century?"

"With pleasure." Everyone said in unison.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23: Legends VS Elites

The eight stared each other down and they were waiting for someone to make a move. It wasn't a surprise that Swift was getting impatient and he was choosing who he would beat up from RAIN.

"You're mine!" Swift said pointing at Ratchet.

Ratchet just looked at him. "What are you going on about?" Then, seemingly in an instant, Ratchet wasn't in the hangar anymore. He was inside of a very large boxing gym and Swift was in front of him with a smug smile on his face.

"What's wrong? You seem confused."

Ratchet looked around. He _was_ extremely confused. _Was it an illusion? If so, the others would still be here._ Ratchet remembered the name of this elite.

"Swift. I take it you have something to do with speed then?" He said as he recalled his armor so it didn't take anymore damage.

Swift nodded. "Not so dumb as you look. So we are gonna fight in here. Mono y mono. Got it?"

Ratchet cracked his shoulders and got in a boxing stance. "No problem."

 _Back at the hangar..._

Ivin, Nick and Anna were surprised to say the least when Ratchet and Swift suddenly disappeared.

"Don't worry," said Red Sapphire. "Swift is fast as hell. You should be more concerned about the rest of us."

Ivin turned on his heel and started walking away from the group. "Red Sapphire. You and me."

Red Sapphire smiled. "Good. I was hoping we'd have some alone time."

As the two walked off farther into the hangar, Anna and Nick just stared at Firebreak and Specter. Specter turned around and headed for an exit.

"I don't care who I get. I'll win anyway." Specter's voice was modified so it sounded like a man, girl and a mix of a voice changer. Whoever this person was, they didn't want anyone knowing any information on them.

Firebreak didn't like Specter's attitude but she ignored the comment. "Anna. You fight Specter. Me and Nick are fighting."

Nick didn't like the sound of that but he wasn't going to let this girl call him a liability and walk away with that. "It's ok Anna. I can handle her."

Anna nodded. "Be safe." Then she ran off toward the exit that Specter went too.

 _Ratchet VS Swift…_

Ratchet and Swift stared each other down for a few seconds and then moved in towards one another almost simultaneously. Swift was extremely fast however and Ratchet wasn't ready for his quick punch that hit him in the face. Reeling backwards, Ratchet gritted his teeth and tried to focus on how to counteract Swift's speed. Swift on the other hand wasn't giving him time to think and relentlessly attacked Ratchet. Right, left, left, right. Swift kept the punches coming and eventually got Ratchet into a corner. He took this chance to speed up and delivered a couple dozen punches to Ratchet's stomach.

Ratchet coughed up blood from all the hits he was taking and he quickly shifted his feet to trip Swift. It worked but only slightly as Swift only had one leg on the mat right now. Ratchet pushed him onto the mat and grabbed his legs. He lifted Swift up slowly and started spinning around before releasing him into the ropes which bounced him back to Ratchet. Ratchet prepared for this and got in a solid punch into his jaw, knocking a tooth out and causing Swift to start bleeding in his mouth.

Landing on the mat and rolling away, Swift spit out some blood. "N-not bad Ratchet. I shouldn't be surprised since you are the leader of your team."

Ratchet took this chance to relax a little and catch his breath. "You better not be done yet. I'm still fired up."

Swift smiled. "Well then, let's see if I can take that heat away." Swift sprinted around Ratchet and kept moving around in a circle.

At first, Ratchet was just trying to find the perfect timing to blast Swift with some fire but before he knew it, he couldn't get in any air. Ratchet tried breathing again but he just choked and coughed. Falling to his knees and gasping for air, he tried thinking of a way out of this but couldn't get his thoughts together because of the lack of oxygen around him.

That's when it hit him, Swift was moving so fast that he was taking away all the air before it even got near Ratchet. Essentially, causing him to suffocate. Ratchet tried crawling towards the edge of the mini tornado that he was inside of but Swift kicked him back towards the center and continued running around him. Ratchet's vision was becoming blurry and his strength was fading.

 _I…can't…not like…this…_

Gritting his teeth, Ratchet raised his fist in the air and slammed it as hard as he could onto the mat which created a massive shockwave that went across the gym and more importantly, broke Swift's legs.

He cried out in pain as he fell down and slid across the mat. He had tears in his eyes and his legs were bent in awkward positions. Swift laid there staring at them in horror. "W-what have you done?!"

Ratchet was breathing heavily but he managed to pick himself up with the aid of the ropes. "Broke your fucking legs."

Swift lightly touched his legs and pain shot up through his body and he screamed in pain once more. This time it was louder and caused Ratchet to wince.

Swift started to cry like a baby at this point. "T-this can't be happening! This has never happened to me! I'm untouchable!"

Ratchet laughed at that comment. It was a laugh that made you get a chill up your spine and that's exactly what happened to Swift. "Please. What you are is a cocky little baby who can't handle the truth. I'll admit, you almost got me but your arrogance and stupidity is what brought you down."

"Y-you're stupid!" Swift said choking on his tears.

Ratchet sighed and walked over to Swift. Ratchet prepared a ball of fire in his hand. Swift stared at it with wide eyes and desperately tried to crawl away but it didn't matter.

"N-no! Wait I'm sorry!" He pleaded. "I've never done anything in my life but run! Please don't do this!"

Ratchet stared at the boy under him. He felt sorry. But this is what needed to be done. For the safety of the people. For Remnant. For Pyrrha.

Ratchet knelt down next to Swift and held him down with his free hand. "If you didn't want to die, then you should've kept running."

Then he brought the fire closer to Swift's face. Slowly, the fire burned and melted his face away. The boy screamed and cried in agony as his skin and nerves were burned from existence while he was still alive. He desperately tried to push Ratchet away so it would stop but it was pointless. After some time, the flesh was now gone, Swift's face was just a burnt skull and he was dead. The only way you could tell it was him was his clothes. Ratchet got up and stared at the body. He wondered how old he was but it didn't matter in the end. Freedom brought this on themselves. So Ratchet was gonna make sure they paid for their decision.

 _Anna VS Specter..._

Anna ran down the hall that Specter had went down. It didn't take long for her to finally meet up with the mysterious enemy.

Specter just stood there leaning on the wall. Looking over to see who was the challenger. Specter didn't seem surprised that it was Anna. "So…its you."

Anna readied her scythe and stared at Specter with angry eyes. "Yeah. Got a problem? Afraid of being beaten by a girl?"

Specter got off of the wall and walked to the middle of the hall so the two were now right across from each other. "I could be a girl. But if you want to know who I really am, I suggest you fight harder than you ever have before."

Anna got irritated by Specter's tone. What made it worse was the fact that the voice was way to hard to determine what or who was under that mask. "No problem. I'll just cut that shit off of your face!"

Anna rushed at Specter and swung her scythe downward when she was in range. Specter anticipated this and simply took a step to the left, avoiding the strike. Anna dragged the blade through the ground at an attempt to slash Specter with an upward attack but Specter rolled toward Anna. Missing and seeing Specter move, Anna jumped back but she wasn't fast enough. Specter grabbed her foot, pulled her close and punched her into the ground.

Anna coughed up blood as she hit the ground and she swore she heard something break. Specter stood above her and then dropped a knee on her throat. Anna gasped and tried to push Specter off but she wasn't strong enough.

"Pathetic. What's the point of that scythe if you can't even use it correctly?" Specter asked Anna, knowing full well she couldn't answer.

Even if she could, she had no answer. This scythe was too big, too heavy and honestly gave her more trouble than she needed. She's questioned why she got it ever since team RAIN found it.

Specter decided that was enough pain and got off of her. Anna gasped for air and rolled over breathing hard but it was short lived. Specter kicked Anna in the stomach which sent her flying and she hit the ceiling. The force of impact caused her to cry out in pain and cough up a mouthful of blood. Once she landed, her scythe fell out of her hands. She desperately crawled over to it but Specter stepped on her outstretched hand.

"Enough." Specter said. "You've lost."

Anna gritted her teeth. "I won't be the only one to lose!"

Specter questioned her words. "Only one you say?"

Anna tried pushing Specter's foot off her hand. "I know the others will all make it out of their fights. Sure they might get beat up and have a few broken bones but overall they will win. So I'm not gonna go down!"

Anna spun around and tried kicking Specter which worked but Specter had blocked it and jumped back. "Interesting. And yet…this is all so strange."

Anna picked up her scythe. "What?"

Specter just sighed. "Nothing. Let's finish this quickly." Out of Specter's gauntlets came two blades that had the same bluish white glow as Anna's scythe.

Anna was taken aback. "Y-your weapons?! They're from that same facility! From the future!"

Specter shrugged. "Something like that."

Specter charged in and viciously attacked Anna. She tried blocking as many attacks as she could but every so often Specter would get in a cut and she was holding back little cries of pain as her last bit of aura was being shredded and she was bleeding. Specter remained calm and quick as Anna struggled to block and wait for an opening. Specter finally stopped attacking on purpose to see what she would do and sure enough, she attacked. Swinging her scythe around her, she was making Specter block or dodge but she was gaining ground.

Specter noticed that she was very unskilled with her scythe. _So…she's only considered a threat because of the other three always protecting her. Alone, she's useless._ Specter decided to stop playing around and blocked Anna's scythe with the future blades. Anna tried pulling her scythe back but it was stuck in between the gap between the two sets of blades. Specter kicked her away and her grip slipped from the scythe. Rolling away from Specter, she breathed heavily and clenched her fists.

"Don't think I'm helpless without my weapon!" Anna screamed at Specter.

"You're helpless even with it." Specter retracted the blades and grabbed Anna's scythe. The scythe's blade grew even larger and it had a dark blackish purple shade than it's normal bluish white.

"W-what…?" Anna said as she started to crawl away from Specter.

Specter slowly walked over to Anna. "You were never meant to wield this."

Then in a burst of speed, Specter zoomed past Anna and sliced her stomach open. Anna had no time to scream or even dodge. She just laid there, bleeding out. Specter placed the scythe in her hands and the color of the blade was back to its normal shade.

Anna had tears in her eyes. She was going to die and nobody could save her. She failed her team. Her friends. Even Pyrrha.

Specter watched as the girl's eyes filled with tears and she slowly bled out. After a few more seconds her eyes became devoid of life. Specter checked her pulse.

Nothing.

Specter nodded and got up, looking down the hall. _I should help Red Sapphire and Firebreak…but Ratchet comes first…both of them do._ Specter than looked down at Anna's lifeless eyes one more time before walking away.

 _Nick VS Firebreak…_

Nick and Firebreak were already going at it but it was extremely one sided. Firebreak was causing explosions all over the place and Nick couldn't do anything to her. Every time he tried getting close, glyphs both small and big would appear in front of him before blowing up. His aura was low and he had no way of fighting back.

Firebreak laughed as she watched Nick struggle. "You're so useless! That hammer is just for show huh?!" She snapped her fingers to form a massive gray glyph underneath Nick. Nick's eyes widened as there was no time to move and he took a direct hit from the explosion which blew away his hammer and all of his remaining aura.

The explosion threw Nick outside of the hangar and he literally took in a mouthful of dirt. Getting up and spitting the dirt out, he tried gaining some distance from Firebreak. But he found it odd of why she wasn't attacking him right now. _Could it be…line of site?_

Firebreak appeared in the hole of the hangar and smiled when she saw Nick. More explosions littered the ground as Nick was forced to dodge them. He was basically dancing for her amusement. Then a giant shadow was under him and it got bigger. Smiling, Nick rolled out of the way and sure enough, his mech suit landed right where he was. Firebreak was taken aback by the giant suit and even worse, the dust cloud it created when landing was blocking her vision of Nick.

Nick quickly got into his mech and started it up. "Zeus you ready? This one is dangerous."

"Well put master Nick." Said Zeus. "Scanners were showing your aura and vital levels going down rapidly."

"It's ok. Let's just show her some payback." Nick said.

Firebreak was still in the hole and was making her way down the rubble. Nick flew up into the air and started unloading the mini guns as well as firing rockets. Firebreak was at first surprised but she simply caused and explosion near the rockets which in turn blew away all the bullets into random directions away from her.

"Master Nick. Not a single one hit." Zeus pointed out.

Nick ignored the report and decided to try and land on her. Firebreak caused an explosion in the air underneath Nick which slowed his mech enough for her to move out of the way. When Nick landed, he couldn't see Firebreak. Activating the scanners, they showed a hostile behind him. Nick turned and readied the guns but Firebreak jumped onto the mech and placed her hand on the front of it where she assumed Nick was seated. Placing a charged glyph, she backflipped off and snapped her fingers which caused the glyph to explode and made the mech fall to the ground and even better, exposed Nick.

Nick shook his head to recover from the blast and saw that he wasn't covered and he tried getting his mech up and turning around before Firebreak saw him directly.

"Sir. I will begin the activation of project ZerØ. Standby." Zeus said.

Nick didn't understand but also didn't have time to wonder since he saw Firebreak make direct eye contact with him. She had a wicked smile on her face and sure enough, a glyph the size of Nick's body was in front of him. His eyes widened at the sight of the glyph before exploding. Firebreak laughed as the mech and Nick exploded into pieces.

"That was way too easy! The boss was right when she said Nick and Anna were useless." Firebreak stretched out her arms before heading back to the hangar. "Wonder how the others are doing. Specter shouldn't be having trouble."

Firebreak felt something hit her leg as she was walking away. She looked down and saw that it was a rock. Another rock landed right next to her. She shifted her sight to the smoking pile of metal and saw Nick. At least, half of him. He was missing his right arm and left leg and somehow, he was still alive.

Firebreak didn't have any words so she stomped over to the half dead huntsman and kicked him in the face. "I don't know how you survived but this is just sad!" She kicked him in his stomach a few times and Nick cried out in pain with each kick. "Just fucking die!"

Nick rolled over to dodge one of her kicks and spit on her shoe. "Make me…heh."

Firebreak's eye twitched and she raised her hand to form a massive glyph above her. That is until she was slammed in the side by Nick's hammer. Firebreak was thrown a couple feet and she had a cracked rib or two which made her wince in pain as she tried to stand up.

"Sorry I'm late master Nick." Zeus said. Nick was confused but his hammer was floating in the air right in front of him.

"Z-Zeus…" Nick said quietly. He was about to bleed out.

"Master Nick. I will proceed to save your life. It may hurt but it will save you."

Zeus, who was in the hammer, separated into various parts and started to attach themselves onto Nick. Forcefully shoving metal into his open wounds made Nick scream in pain but whatever Zeus was doing was working. He was beginning to get his strength back. Slowly, Nick looked at where his arm used to be. Now it was back but it was entirely made up of metal. His leg was the exact same. Feeling a surge of energy, Nick jumped up and turned towards Firebreak.

"Z-Zeus?! What's going on?!" Nick yelled out to his companion.

"I have saved you master. Though I am now part of your conscious, I can still freely acquire information from other sources. I have also injected micro bots to help with your blood flow. You won't bleed out but any other attack like the one our enemy did may kill you. Also your arm turns into a cannon. Your leg has the strength of your hammer. I hope you are pleased."

Nick was at a loss for words on what was happening but he didn't have too much time to process this because Firebreak was up and she didn't seem too happy. "I thought I told you to die!" She screamed at Nick.

Nick decided to shut her up and placed his arm outward. "Uh…cannon!"

"Master. You can activate it without voice. Just think about it." Zeus said.

"Oh…"

Nick thought about his cannon and sure enough, his arm started to transform into a mini cannon right before his eyes. At the same time, Firebreak was creating a huge glyph above Nick and she was getting ready to blast him to oblivion.

"Cannon at 100% strength. Ready to fire." Zeus updated Nick.

Nick aimed for Firebreak's head and Firebreak was ready to blast Nick.

"GO THE HELL!" The two yelled to each other.

Nick fired his cannon and Firebreak snapped her fingers. The massive glyph made an explosion that was impossible to dodge. For normal people. But Nick used his new leg to launch him far outside of the blast radius and he was only hit by a few rocks. Firebreak was not so lucky. The glyph she formed was so big that she had no energy to even attempt at dodging the energy blast from Nick's cannon and her head was blown to pieces. Her body fell to the ground as blood flowed through the grass from out of her neck where her head should have been.

Nick fell on his knees as his arm transformed back to its original state. "We…we did it…"

"Indeed master. I suggest you take a break now. You are in no condition to assist our comrades." Zeus began to command the micro bots to heal Nick's damaged organs as Nick laid on the ground breathing hard. Zeus decided not to mention Anna has been killed. With what just happened to Nick himself, Zeus doubted he could handle the news.

 _Ivin Kekovich VS Red Sapphire..._

Ivin and Red Sapphire stood apart from each other. The flames in the hangar were still blazing and the rest of the building seemed to be catching fire and yet the two stood there as if it was just a normal battlefield. Red Sapphire checked her shield and frowned when she saw some specs of ash on it. She wiped it off before starting up a conversation.

"How's your sister Ivin?" Ivin's grip on his sword tightened and Red Sapphire knew she struck a nerve. "She's still in the hospital right? Must be hard. She didn't do anything wrong and yet she may die."

Ivin knew what Red Sapphire was trying to do. He wasn't gonna let her mess with his emotions so easily. "I have her in the best care. Nothing will happen to her." He said as calmly as he could.

Red Sapphire rolled her eyes. "Oh please. Another year or two and she'll be the reason why you run out of money and power. It's not worth it so you should let her die."

Ivin was screaming on the inside but he had to control his emotions. Letting them go wild before or during a battle was a good way to get yourself killed. "Enough Red Sapphire. You're stalling because you're afraid."

Red Sapphire laughed. "Oh Ivin. I'm far from afraid of you." With that being said, she started walking towards him.

Ivin fully unsheathed his blade and charged Red Sapphire. Slashing down onto her shield once he was in range. Ivin then moved to the side of her to try and stab her but she blocked him again. Despite it being a tower shield, she was very fast. Red Sapphire pushed Ivin back with her shield and that's when he noticed the blade inside it.

Ivin smiled to himself. _That blade will be tricky but I should be able to handle it._ Ivin slammed his sword into the ground and streams of fire surrounded the area around Red Sapphire. She tried getting out of it but the fire formed a cage and slowly started to close in on her. Ivin watched closely at her next move. He knew all too well a person like Red Sapphire could easily overcome this. And he was right.

Red Sapphire activated her personal shield and a blue bubble of pure energy surrounded her. She walked right through the flames and when she did the shield turned red and sent out small blasts of energy outward. Ivin was able to slice them in half but he was intrigued by Red Sapphire's trick.

"I thought you weren't anything special?" Ivin asked.

Red Sapphire shrugged. "What can I say? Everyone's got a secret."

Red Sapphire moved in towards Ivin when her bubble went down. The hidden blade came out of the shield and Red Sapphire tried to strike Ivin but he dodged and tried to counter. The two went back and forth with trying to hit each other and blocking one another's attacks. It came to the point where Ivin had to back away because Red Sapphire activated her bubble but she wasn't about to let him go so easily.

Red Sapphire moved in front of Ivin with such speed that he couldn't react fast enough. The bubble slowly ripped apart his fancy jacket and even got his skin a bit. The energy coming off of it was enough to make Ivin feel sick to his stomach. Red Sapphire smiled as he struggled to stay away from her bubble. She slammed her shield into the ground and it pulsed. The pulse made Ivin float up and then hit the ground with such force that his aura dropped immediately. He slowly tried standing up before Red Sapphire could attack him again.

Her bubble went down again and she looked at Ivin as he slowly got up. "You seem a little sick there Ivin."

Ivin wiped away some blood that was on his lips and put two and two together. "So…radiation."

Red Sapphire clapped for Ivin. "Fabulous. As expected of a Kekovich."

Ivin knew that she was still taunting him. He also knew that anymore contact with that shield may give him radiation poisoning and if he won this battle, he would just die at a later time due to the radiation. He needed to end this fast.

Deciding to take a risk, Ivin sheathed his sword and ran at Red Sapphire. She was surprised at first but was ready to block Ivin's kick when he was in range. After kicking the shield, he quickly got down and tried sweeping her legs, when she jumped up he reached for his blade and swiftly slashed her torso. It didn't make a massive gash but she did have a cut on her. Ivin smiled to himself and saw the slight irritation on Red Sapphire's face.

"Not bad. But not good enough."

Red Sapphire activated her bubble once more and slammed her shield into the ground at the same time which caused Ivin to float in the air. This time he was ready and when he was sent slamming into the ground he shrugged off the pain and threw his blade at Red Sapphire. She moved to block with her shield but what she didn't see was the small string of fire attached to the handle of Ivin's blade. Ivin moved to the side of Red Sapphire and pulled his blade back to him and charged Red Sapphire from the side. When she saw the blade get pulled back, Red Sapphire tried turning around to block where Ivin would be next but he got to her faster than expected and managed to stab her through her stomach.

Red Sapphire coughed up blood but she wasn't done just yet. She grabbed Ivin by the throat and lifted him up. His grip on his blade released due to the sudden pain and lack of air. He struggled to get her hand off of him but she slammed him into the ground which caused him to cough up blood. Red Sapphire let go and kicked him over. She took the blade out of her stomach and stuck it through Ivin's shoulder. He cried out in pain as the blade went through. Red Sapphire then slammed her shield into his other arm and broke it.

Ivin was in immense pain and couldn't do anything without damaging his arm more. Red Sapphire walked in front of him and sat down. She was happy with herself but she had a hand on her stomach.

"Seems like I might die." Red Sapphire told Ivin.

"N-not fast enough though…" Ivin said slowly.

Red Sapphire chuckled. She had lost some blood but she wasn't dizzy just yet. "It was well fought."

Ivin gritted his teeth from the pain. "W-well? When will you activate that bubble?"

Red Sapphire shook her head. "No point. We will both die here. Might as well be by swords and not other causes."

"Sorry." Ivin said under his breath. He slowly summoned fire and attached it to the handle of his blade. Pulling it out and ignoring the pain, he went to kill Red Sapphire and when he did, he saw a small smile.

Ivin cut her throat and she slowly fell on her back and laid there. With the last of her strength she looked at her shield. Seeing all the scratches on it would usually make her frown but this time, they deserved her attention and she smiled even more.

Ivin fell to his knees and breathed heavily. He needed to snap his arm back in place. That massive explosion outside was probably Nick. He needed to make sure everyone was ok. After briefly snapping his arm in place, he stood up and sheathed his blade. He saw Red Sapphire's body and saw her eyes. They were truly beautiful, like her, but they've seen too much blood. At least now they could rest. He closed her eyes and grabbed her shield. He would be sure to clean it off after all this was over.

Ivin felt that in doing this, he could honor her. True she was a major criminal outside the kingdoms and she was part of a secret terrorist organization but she was still a person. He felt she was an honorable person despite everything he knew about her. Nonetheless, he quickly headed outside to check up on Nick and see if his friend had made it through his fight.

Little did the three friends know…is that Anna had perished from her fight with Specter. The question isn't how they would handle this or if this would make them want revenge. The question is, will her death along with Pyrrha's be enough to finally crush their spirits or will their friends deaths make them stronger?

* * *

 **A/N: Sweet lord that was a long chapter. The longest one so far!**

 **Sorry for the wait everybody but as you can imagine, without internet one cannot update as frequently as before. Also it took some time to edit the chapter and what not.**

 **Well how was it? Team RAIN's struggle against the four elites of Freedom was pretty cool huh? No? Oh...I see.**

 **Anyway, many may question why Ratchet did what he did. Well as you can tell, even before Pyrrha died, he's been going to the extreme. But why is it that the hero you've all come to love (I hope) is becoming such a...I don't know, dick? Killer? There's a word that fits that sentence but I don't know it at the moment.**

 **And what of Nick and Ivin? How will they react to Anna's death? Will Ratchet be able to handle _another_ person close to him dying? What will happen? Who is Specter?!**

 **Don't worry, many answers shall be rewarded for you many few in the coming of chapters but also many more questions with dark truths. Hue hue hue.**

 **\- CLOUD MARIO**


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24: Reunited

Ratchet heard explosions that sounded like it came from outside. _Was that Nick? Sounds like he's giving em hell._ He made his way down various halls and took down a couple soldiers along the way. There weren't that many around anymore. He wasn't surprised if it was because they needed reinforcements at the gravity glyphs.

Turning down a hallway that was labeled Security, he saw what resembled a control room. When he went inside there where a bunch of screens that seemed to monitor various places around the hideout. One in particular was of interest to Ratchet. He saw a rather tall man standing in the center of an open field. The monitor said training grounds. Looking at a map of the building on the wall right next to him, it looked like it was in the middle of the building and it was outside. Like a courtyard in a sense.

Ratchet made his way over there as quickly as he could.

 _Outside the hangar…_

"Jesus dude. That's crazy." Ivin said as he looked at Nick's body.

Nick nodded and looked at his right arm. "Tell me about it. I'm still having trouble believing this."

Ivin looked over the battlefield. Nick, his broken mech, Firebreak's corpse. To say that it was intense may be an understatement.

"So you took down Red Sapphire huh?" Nick asked Ivin.

Ivin rubbed his injured arm lightly. "Yeah…it's unbelievable. I can't believe I did it to be honest." Looking down at her shield he frowned. What if I didn't…

Nick patted Ivin on his back, almost hitting his injured arm. "We made it dude. Sure we are a little fucked up but hey, we knew the risks when we decided to fight Freedom."

Ivin nodded. "You aren't wrong." Ivin put the shield down and looked at his watch. "Nick. Press the red button on my watch and scroll until I say stop."

Nick did what he was told and Ivin's watch practically became a mini scroll. Nick swiped until he got to Ivin's contacts and pressed on team RWBY. After a couple seconds, one of the girls answered.

"Yes Ivin?" Blake's face appeared on screen. She had a bruise on her cheek but otherwise she seemed ok.

"Hey Blake. Everything ok on your end?"

Blake nodded. "We managed to take out two gravity glyphs. Irene told us earlier that her team was only able to take out one. It seems they had the most soldiers to deal with. Otherwise, everyone is a little hurt but safe."

Ivin released a breath he hadn't realized he was holding in. "Thank goodness. I suppose leaving the last gravity glyph is fine. It's not like it alone can bring the moon down. Can you guys get over to us?"

Blake turned around to see what Ruby was doing. After nodding she turned back to Ivin. "We can get there. We'll tell the others."

Ivin and Nick decided to wait there for their friends. Anna and Ratchet would either come find them or they would've found each other.

 _Amongst the halls to the training grounds..._

Ratchet was almost to the courtyard. He felt uneasy about this but he knew that that meant after he beat this guy, everything would be over. The death of Pyrrha was still looming over his conscious rather heavily. Somehow though, he felt like she was watching over him and that gave him the little strength he needed to keep going.

As Ratchet made a few more twists and turns around the building, he started to smell smoke. _Smoke? The fires must've spread from the hangar. Better get this over with quick…hope everyone is alright._

He was worried about his friends but if he continued to worry about them right now and not on his next opponent, he may not make it out alive. Rounding one more corner, he could see the training grounds. Slowly, he made his way down the hall and outside. That's when he saw another figure standing next to the man he was after.

The figure wore a helmet and had lightish gray armor that covered the entire body. Ratchet wasn't able to tell if it was a male or female but it didn't matter. He remembered seeing them at the hangar with Red Sapphire. This person was an elite and they weren't on his side.

As he was closing the distance between him and the two people in front of him. He heard them talking.

"You need to leave and we have to change the plan. Now." Said the armored figure.

The taller man sighed. "Enough Specter. I have business that needs my attention. Step aside."

Specter didn't listen to his words. "I will take you down if you don't listen."

The man didn't seem phased by Specter's words. "Doubtful. Our guest is here anyway."

Specter turned to see Ratchet standing across from them. He looked at both of them before speaking. "Who's the boss?"

Specter stepped to the side and the boss stepped up. "Ratchet. Leader of team RAIN. I commend you for all your hard work. But this ends now."

Ratchet clenched his fists. "Funny, I was gonna say the same thing."

Specter was about to step in front of the boss until he spoke again. "You know...I could bring her back."

Ratchet stopped dead in his tracks and his eyes widened. "What are you talking about?"

He smiled. "I could bring back your beloved Pyrrha. Or perhaps you would like Anna back? Oh, she's dead by the way."

Ratchet was taken aback by all this but a nod from Specter confirmed it. Anna was dead. He wasn't even sure if Ivin and Nick knew. But…if what this guy was saying was true…

"I'll give up my life for theirs." Ratchet said without a second thought.

The man shrugged. "I knew you'd say that. Unfortunately that isn't a fair trade. You aren't worth that much."

Ratchet gritted his teeth. His patience was gone now. "Just who the hell are you?!"

The man smiled. "How could you forget me? After all, you have my hair and your mothers eyes."

The world stopped completely for Ratchet at that moment. He couldn't think or breath or even move. He was in a state of shock that he'd never experienced before. He felt dizzy. He fell to his knees and tried to keep himself from passing out but this was all too much for him to handle right now. His hands were shaking uncontrollably.

"I…no…y-you can't be…" Ratchet told himself this more than the other two.

Specter sighed. "Unbelievable. How are you a huntsman? Seeing you right now is just pathetic."

Ratchet ignored Specter's words. He felt so lost right now. He wasn't sure how to react. This guy was his dad? Should he be happy because he met his dad? How could he since he was trying to destroy the world? Should he ask more questions? Ratchet's head started to hurt as these various thoughts went through his mind.

It wasn't until he felt two hands on both of his shoulders that he was brought back into reality. Looking on either side of him, he didn't see anyone. He spun around but nobody was behind him. The only people that were there was him, Specter and his supposed father.

 _It's ok Ratchet. We're here for you._

Ratchet got up and looked around one more time. Nobody was near him to whisper that in his ear and yet…it sounded just like Pyrrha and Anna. He questioned if he wasn't just going crazy.

 _?_

Anna opened her eyes slowly. She felt like she was floating even though she was laying on the ground. Slowly sitting up, she saw white. Everything was white. It was like she was in a void that kept going forever and didn't stop. There wasn't anything here except for her. She was confused as to where she was. She remembered fighting Specter inside of the Freedom base.

 _Oh…right…_

Anna remembered that she was killed by Specter. She sighed and shuddered at the thought. She was completely useless. Specter had made that very clear.

"Anna?"

Anna's head snapped up when she heard the sudden voice of a female. She looked around but nobody was there at first, that is, until she turned around. Anna saw a tall beautiful girl standing there with a surprised expression.

Pyrrha Nikos.

"Pyrrha!" Anna jumped up and bear hugged her.

Pyrrha was crushed by the sudden hug from Anna but she hugged her back anyway. "Hello again."

Anna let go of Pyrrha and stared up at her. "What's going on? I thought…wait…are we…?"

Pyrrha shifted her feet and nodded slowly. "I'm afraid so. This is the afterlife. I think."

Anna's jaw dropped. "No way…"

Pyrrha saw the disbelief in Anna's eyes but it was the truth. They were dead and they couldn't change that even though Pyrrha desperately tried. She struggled to believe what was going on at first when she awoke here but she accepted her fate.

Anna shook her head. "We can't just accept this right?"

Pyrrha understood where Anna was going with this but there was no other way. "We have to. Though…I was told by a mysterious voice that we don't have to just sit here."

Anna raised an eyebrow. "Mysterious voice? Like, what? God?"

Pyrrha shrugged. "I'm not sure. But apparently we can watch over our loved ones. Unfortunately we can't talk to them or interact with them. Not unless our bond with said person is extremely strong."

Pyrrha pointed at a pool of water that was lying there in the void. It seemed out of place but there was an aura there that seemed peaceful. "I haven't tried it yet. I was scared of what I might see."

"Scared?" Anna questioned.

Pyrrha nodded. "Lately…or at least when I was around, Ratchet's changed. He's become more extreme with his actions."

Anna went to say she was wrong but Pyrrha was right. Lately, Ratchet has been doing things that just didn't seem like him. "You know, he broke."

"Broke?" Pyrrha asked with a puzzled expression.

Anna hesitated but continued. "After you died…he just stopped. He didn't move from the cliff side for three days. He had lost all reason to be alive and was about to kill himself until Ruby stopped him. Honestly, if she wasn't there to stop him, I think he'd be here with you."

Pyrrha had tears in her eyes. She hadn't realized that Ratchet held her so deep into his heart like that. "Ratchet…"

Pyrrha turned to the water and decided now was the time to act. She headed over to it and Anna quickly followed. The two didn't know what they where supposed to do but when Pyrrha knelt down to lightly tap it, the water glowed and rippled. In the center of the tiny pool of water was Ratchet. He was facing two figures in an inner courtyard.

"Freedom?" Pyrrha asked Anna.

Anna's eyes were on Specter and she got angry at herself. "Yeah. That armored fuck is Specter. An elite that killed me. I don't know who the other guy is."

"How could you forget me? After all, you have my hair and your mothers eyes."

The two girls eyes widened and they gasped when they heard the sudden voice. Pyrrha was taken aback by what the man had said but Ratchet seemed much worse. He backed away and fell to his knees.

Anna saw him and she knew what was happening. "Oh no…he's on the breaking point again."

Pyrrha was still stunned at what they heard. "Prior to Ivin showing up, everyone in RAIN grew up together in an orphanage right?" Anna nodded. "So…this man is Ratchet's father? But…why would he be doing all of this?"

Anna shrugged. "Don't know. Right now though, Ratchet may need our help. You said we need a strong connection with them right?"

"Yes. I was his lover so it wouldn't be hard to get through. You were his childhood friend and teammate. We should be able to get through."

The two girls looked at each other and back at the water. Slowly, they put their hands through and reached out to Ratchet. The girls placed a hand on one of his shoulders and they both spoke together.

"It's ok Ratchet. We're here for you."

Ratchet looked around for the source of the voice and the odd presence that touched him.

Anna laughed. "Seems he heard us."

Pyrrha smiled. "I hope this helped."

Anna decided to act and grabbed Pyrrha's arm. "Sorry girl but he needs you more than me. Don't worry, I'll hold down the fort."

Pyrrha was confused but before she could question what Anna was doing, she was pushed into the pool of water. Pyrrha slowly floated down onto the world of the living. She wasn't alive, but she knew she could make a slight difference to how things were going. Slowly she floated down next to Ratchet and hugged him.

 _The training grounds…_

Ratchet was still confused on what he had heard. Specter and the boss just watched and waited for him to get his thoughts together. Though the building was slowly catching fire, they weren't in a rush.

Ratchet decided to focus on the task at hand. _I gotta focus. If I don't and these guys get away, everyone will still be in danger._ He thought to himself.

Ratchet took a step forward but was stopped by a sudden force that wrapped itself around him. It was warm…comforting and most of all, familiar.

Ratchet had tears in his eyes as he felt the hug of the girl he loved more than anything in the world. "Pyrrha…"

 _I'm here Ratchet. I'm right here._

It was a whisper and it sounded like she was far away but she was there. Ratchet felt happy as he was reunited with his love. "I've missed you so much!"

Specter and the boss watched curiously of what was going on. "Who's he talking to?"

The boss smiled. "Can't you tell? I know that helmet has a spectral vision."

Specter just ignored what the boss said and activated the helmets spectral vision. Specter was surprised to see Pyrrha Nikos. Specter went to move and strike at this moment but the boss stuck out his arm.

"No. Let him have this. When he dies, he won't be going to the same place. This might as well be their last moments."

Specter was irritated at the boss for all of his knowledge on almost everything but listened to his words. Specter waited and watched.

Ratchet wasn't sure if he could touch Pyrrha but he was just happy she was here for him. "Pyrrha…"

 _Shh. It's ok. I know you have to fight. I'll be with you the entire time. Oh, and Anna says hello._

Hearing her words brought a sad smile to his face. Before Pyrrha let go of him, she gave him a kiss. It was a kiss he couldn't actually return but Ratchet felt all of her emotions and knew she believed in him. After she broke the kiss, Ratchet felt like their souls were now attached to each other which made the two feel closer than ever before.

Pyrrha floated right beside him and was going to do all she could to help Ratchet in what may be his most difficult fight ever.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25: Ratchet VS Specter

"So, have you decided on what course of action you'll take?" The boss said as Ratchet checked his gauntlets.

Ratchet smirked after seeing his gear was in top shape. "Oh yeah. I'm gonna kick your ass and get some answers."

Specter sighed. "You can't beat us both Ratchet. You aren't that lucky or skilled."

Ratchet shrugged. "Somehow I feel like I'll have more than enough strength to deal with you both." Ratchet looked at Pyrrha and she nodded which confirmed that she had his back.

Specter looked at the boss. "Well? How should we handle this?"

The boss checked his watch. "I'm rather busy. Why don't you take this one? After all, you did say he can't fight us both. One on one may prove a challenge for you. Plus you don't need to hold back."

Specter stepped up in front of the boss. "When do I ever hold back?"

The boss smiled. "Your sparring matches with Red Sapphire, Swift and Firebreak. You were never fighting at your full strength. Now shoo. Go have fun."

The boss turned on his heel and started to walk away. Ratchet saw this and made a move to stop him but Specter moved in front of him.

Ratchet gritted his teeth. "So he's running?"

Specter nodded and the boss turned around towards them. "Ratchet, my dear son. Should you live, I'll tell you everything you wish to know. Till next time." And with that, he made his way inside the burning building.

 _This person was able to take out Anna. You sure this is a good idea?_

Ratchet nodded. "Don't worry Pyrrha. I'm not letting this maniac get the best of me."

Specter was done waiting. "Let's do this."

Ratchet and Specter ran towards each other and smashed fists together. Flames erupted from Ratchet's punch but it didn't seem to phase Specter. Specter grabbed Ratchet's arm and threw him to the side. Ratchet flew across the training grounds and hit a tree but he got up on his feet immediately and just in time as Specter ran at him at full speed. Specter tried kicking Ratchet but he moved to the side and grabbed Specter from behind and had a choke hold on the armored elite.

"Time to find out who's under that mask!" Ratchet yelled as he started punching the mask repeatedly. It was barely taking any damage and only received some scratches before Specter got out of his choke hold and punched him in the stomach.

"You aren't ready to know who I truly am." Said Specter.

Ratchet wiped some blood away from his mouth before going on the offensive. He made sure to keep his attacks swift but strong so Specter couldn't try and find an opening. Ratchet was able to get Specter to back up into the tree. With one hard swing, Ratchet punched Specter through the tree and sent the elite flying. Specter managed to block the punch and land safely across from Ratchet.

 _Ratchet…I think that helmet is made of the same material as Nick's mech suit. If that's the case, you'll need a really powerful punch to break through._

Ratchet thought about what Pyrrha was saying. The helmet did seem to be tough. It was strange, it was like Specter cared more about preventing others from knowing who's under that mask than actually fighting back.

Specter was making a move now and charged Ratchet. Specter released the futuristic blades from the gauntlets and began tearing Ratchet's aura away. Ratchet was keeping his distance but it was like the blades attracted aura towards them and no matter how fast he dodged, his aura kept dropping.

 _Ratchet! Specter's belt!_

Quickly glancing at what Pyrrha was talking about, he saw Specter had on a belt with a few grenades on it. They all looked explosive but he could be wrong. Ratchet summoned his shield and turned around so Specter's next attack hit the shield. Specter was caught off guard and Ratchet took this chance to slide around and rip the pins off of two grenades.

Ratchet pulled his shield forward and backed away as much as possible before the belt blew up. Specter looked down at the belt and simply unbuckled it and threw it to the side. The grenades exploded and a large purple sphere covered the radius of the explosion and then disappeared.

Ratchet remembered where he saw that same effect before. "So it was you! That bomb on Pyrrha was fucking yours!"

Specter shrugged. "So? Irene was the one who put it on her if I recall."

 _Ratchet, honey. Don't let Specter work you up. I think Specter is trying to play with your emotions but don't worry, I'm here. Don't be afraid of this person._

Ratchet slowed his breathing and listened to what his beloved was saying. "Thanks Pyrrha. Let's do this!"

Ratchet threw his shield at Specter and at the same time aura pushed himself to slide right under it. Specter was going to catch the shield and use it to bash Ratchet into the ground but to Specter's surprise, Ratchet blasted the shield up into the air while he was under it. Now almost in front of Specter, Ratchet went to sweep the legs. Specter jumped over him and grabbed him by the throat. Specter stuck one of the blades into Ratchet's stomach and caused him to cry out in pain.

"I'm guessing you were just trying to be cool and didn't even know what you were doing." Specter said sounding bored.

 _R-Ratchet?! What where you thinking?!_

Ratchet smiled even as blood came out of his mouth. Spitting it out onto the ground as he smiled. "Funny. I knew exactly how this was gonna turn out."

Specter didn't take him seriously and took the blades out of him. Specter prepared to strike at Ratchet's chest next but suddenly the shield Ratchet blasted landed in the helmet. Specter let go of Ratchet and tried to get the shield unstuck from where it was. The helmets vision blurred and static was everywhere so Specter couldn't see Ratchet prepare a fire ball.

Ratchet then summoned Sorrows End and covered the barrel with flames. Aiming at the shield, he fired a few rounds and the bullets did bounce off the shield but they caught it on fire. Specter was now frantically slicing the shield with the blades but they weren't going through. Ratchet ran over and pushed Specter to the ground. He then proceeded to smash in the helmet with the butt of his gun. Specters helmet slowly began to clear and show vision. Specter kicked Ratchet off and finally got the shield out of the helmet. Throwing the shield to the side in pure anger, Specter pulled out a sidearm and began firing it off at Ratchet.

Ratchet released a solar wind and it burned the bullets that came at him.

 _When could you do that?_

Ratchet got up and smiled. "Ivin taught me that trick after our match. Now to break open your shell Specter!"

Ratchet ran at Specter with full speed and Specter slowly backed up and reloaded. Before Specter could get the clip into the gun, Ratchet slammed his fist on the ground. Normally this would break someone's leg but whatever armor Specter had prevented that but the force of the tremor did make Specter fall. Ratchet got on top of Specter and knocked the gun away before placing both his hands on the open crack of the helmet and began pulling. Specter tried using the blades to slice Ratchet in half but they malfunctioned and weren't coming out.

 _Hurry! I was able to stop Specter's blades for now with my semblance but I can't hold them back!_

Ratchet put all his strength into pulling the helmet apart and ignored Specter punching him in the chest and stomach. "Just. Who. The. Hell. Are. You!"

The helmet made another cracking sound before being pulled apart as Ratchet finally pulled off the helmet. Specter quickly pushed him off and rolled away, making sure not to let Ratchet see who was under that mask.

Ratchet slowly got up and breathed heavily. "Hey!...Fucker! Turn…around…"

 _Why…does this aura feel so…familiar…_

Ratchet noticed it right after Pyrrha said it. The aura coming off of Specter was so familiar it was scary. As Specter turned around however, the couple learned why the aura was familiar.

Specter had long red hair and bright green eyes filled with hate and sadness.

Specter…was Pyrrha Nikos.

* * *

 **A/N: My word! What a shocker! What is going on?! Oh lord the madness is real!**

 **Hello everyone and I hope you have enjoyed this chapter of The Legend Of RAIN. The tale of our four heroes is close to ending. Yes I know, it is sad but we all saw this coming from chapter 1.**

 **Now I'm curious, how are you enjoying this? Is it good? Ya hate it? Leave a review if you'd like. Don't worry, I won't be depressed if you have anything negative to say. Though to be honest since we are almost finished with our journey, I'm pretty pumped to finish it.**

 **So yeah. Expect another chapter in maybe a day or three. Until next time.**

 **\- CLOUD MARIO**


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N: Sorry for short chapter but...well just read.**

* * *

Chapter 26: Revelations

Ratchet and Pyrrha didn't say anything. They both just stared at…the other Pyrrha.

Pyrrha, or rather Specter, screamed at them. "Happy?! Now you know who I am!"

Ratchet didn't know how to react. "P-Pyrrha…but…what…"

 _I don't understand…why does Specter look like me?!_

Ratchet tried to understand what was happening but no logical explanation came to mind. "What the hell is going on?!"

Specter couldn't look at Ratchet and shifted her gaze to her feet. "You wouldn't understand!"

Ratchet looked at his Pyrrha. "You...are the real one right?"

Pyrrha was taken aback but couldn't blame him for asking. _Yes Ratchet. But…why does she look and sound like me?_

Specter's hands were shaking and she wasn't sure what she should do. Ratchet looked over towards her and decided to get some answers. "Just talk to me Specter. Who are you? What's going on?"

A fiery explosion went off in the distance and it shook the ground with tremendous force that Ratchet almost lost his footing. Specter remained perfectly still. She was trying to decide if she should actually talk with him or try and run. Thinking back however, she was tired of running from her problems. She never got anything done that way.

Specter took in a breath before speaking but she didn't look up at Ratchet. "I'm Pyrrha Nikos. I'm from the future. About 13 years from now, Ivin's little sister Mimi brought me back to life by creating a living body and recapturing my soul. It's a long process I'm sure you wouldn't understand. She's a Kekovich so she knows what she's doing."

Ratchet narrowed his eyes and processed what she was saying before speaking up. "13 years from now? Well why the hell are you some assassin working for Freedom and not the same old Pyrrha?"

Specter sighed. "The world…isn't the same in the future. War has broken out between the kingdoms and it's all thanks to you."

Ratchet was shocked to hear her say that. "Me? I caused a war?"

Specter nodded. "Your actions in Atlas caused an uproar. Even I don't know what you did. I was told to come back and try and stop this from happening. So that's what I did. I found your mother and father and tried killing them. Your mother died saving you and your father attempted to stop me but after I told him why this had to happen, he joined me. Together we formed Freedom and I joined as a normal solider, moving up through the ranks while your dad was the leader. Together we would stop that future from happening."

"Do you hear yourself?!" Ratchet yelled at Specter. "That doesn't make sense! Save the future by what, dropping the moon on Remnant?!"

Specter chuckled. "Yes I guess it is a bit crazy. But this way, the council and all the kingdoms can't continue their foolish war because it would never have happened. And if you get killed in the process, all the better."

Ratchet took a step forward. "You aren't really Pyrrha! She would never do such a thing!"

Specter finally looked up at Ratchet and she had tears rolling down her cheeks. "You don't get it?! I had to watch as countless people died in front of my eyes! Our friends slaughtered each other without hesitation, all for the sake of their kingdom!" Specter tried to keep her emotions in check but she fell to her knees and punched the ground. "I even had to kill the one person I love!"

"You did…what…" Ratchet couldn't think of a way to respond to what she was saying.

 _Ratchet…_ Pyrrha tried to get his attention but he wasn't listening.

Specter looked defeated and she was still crying. "That's right. I had to kill you…I was ordered by Ivin and Mimi to kill you. I didn't want to but…you became someone else…something else. You were a savage…the Badlands did something to you. Nobody knows what happened out there but it changed you. And so, I had to kill you. Now I have to do it again…whether I like it or not."

Ratchet couldn't fully understand everything she was saying but he got the general concept. He was the problem. And Freedom's goal was to take him out. Even if that meant bringing humanity to extinction.

 _Ratchet!_

Ratchet turned to Pyrrha and she was starting to fade away. "P-Pyrrha!"

 _I think my time is up._ She gave him a kiss and smiled. _Listen…we don't know what will happen in the future. Just know, I'll always be by your side._

Ratchet watched helplessly as Pyrrha slowly faded away out of the world of the living. Once she was gone, Ratchet felt empty again. He felt alone. He looked over to where Specter was and she had gotten up and started running away. Specter was most likely trying to escape but he couldn't waste time dealing with her. As another part of the building exploded, Ratchet slowly made his way to where his father walked off to.

Little did he know, his father was waiting in his office for Ratchet. He knew he'd most likely ask questions and he was prepared to answer them.

* * *

 **A/N: See? It was short because I believe you all need a couple minutes to recover from that information overload. Well sadly for all of you, the next chapter won't be out for a few days. I'll try and finish it up as quick as possible.**

 **Until next time my companions**

 **\- CLOUD MARIO**


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27: What needs to be done

Everyone was outside of the Freedom base and they all watched as the building was covered in flames and parts of it exploded most likely due to dust crystals stored elsewhere. The building wasn't the concern though, everyone was worried about Ratchet and Anna since neither of them have come out or tried to contact them.

Nick tried scanning the building but he wasn't used to his new body yet and couldn't get past the hangar. "Damn it…what the hell are they doing?"

Ivin went over to Yang and Ruby. "I'm gonna go search for them. Knowing Ratchet, the flames won't bother him but Anna could be in trouble. Yang, since you and I also aren't affected by fire could you join me?"

Yang looked at the burning building. "I don't know Ivin…you think we have time?"

Ivin nodded. "This building is quite impressive in structure. We should have roughly ten minutes before it falls apart."

Yang felt a little uneasy but Ratchet and Anna were still missing. She didn't want to be standing around. "Alright I'll help. Ruby stay here ok? I'll be back."

Ruby, who was injured during her teams battle with Freedom's forces, shook her head. "Let me help. I can cover more ground than you guys."

Although she was right, Ivin didn't want her coming along. "No Ruby. Your arm is still in bad shape."

Ruby still didn't listen. "You know I'll go whether you tell me to or not. Ratchet and Anna are my friends. I don't want to sit around doing nothing."

Ivin looked at Yang for the ok. She sighed. "Yeah. You're my sister that's for sure. Come on, then. Just make sure your cloak doesn't catch on fire."

As the three where about to head out, Irene came over to them. "I'm going."

Ivin just looked at her. "Excuse me?"

Irene motioned to her Grimm half. "Fire doesn't bother me all that much. I can shrug it off. Plus I'm faster than Ruby. I could look for Anna while you all go look for Ratchet."

Ivin thought about it. "Well…I guess this would shorten our search time. Alright. We will find Ratchet. You go look for Anna."

The four made their way into the building after telling the rest of the group what was going on, as they made their way into the burning hangar, Ivin pointed to the hall that Anna went down and Irene made her way over to it.

"Which way did Ratchet go?" Ruby asked frantically as the fires were spreading around the hangar.

Ivin looked around but didn't know how to answer. "One of the elites that we faced had faster speed than even Ruby or Irene. They were gone in the blink of an eye."

Yang didn't know what to do either. Ruby and Ivin discussed where Ratchet would feel best fighting someone with such speed but they couldn't figure it out.

 _Ratchet is making his way to the office of his father. Take the stairs and keep going until you reach the armory. After that, make a left and go down the hall until you see two big doors. That's where he should be._

Yang looked around for the sudden voice that spoke next to her. She didn't see anyone and it didn't sound like Ivin or Ruby. It sounded like…

"Anna…?"

Ruby looked over at Yang. "Yang? What's wrong?"

Yang shook her head. "N-nothing. I think I know where to find him. Let's hurry."

Yang started running to the stairs and Ivin and Ruby followed without question. They had to find Ratchet and quickly.

 _Down one of the various halls that lead to the hangar..._

It didn't take long for Irene to find Anna. What she didn't expect was her corpse. Irene dropped down and held her close. Quickly checking her pulse just to be sure. There was no pulse and her body felt very cold. She's been dead for awhile.

Irene didn't know what to do. "No…fuck!" She just stared at Anna's guts that were outside of her and on the floor. The only person who would do this is Specter. She knew Specter was an elite but she didn't know that Specter was sick in the head.

Irene looked at her dead friend and held her closer. "Why…" She felt helpless. She should've been here to help but she had to help the others take down one of the gravity glyphs before it was too late. Irene's vision from her normal right eye was blurred. She almost forgot that her left eye was a Grimm eye and it didn't always react the same way as her normal eye.

 _Wait…Grimm…_

Thinking back to Liz, she was inside Irene. But how? Was it because Liz was something else entirely or was it because Irene was part Grimm? Could she…transfer her Grimm half into someone else. Like a host. Looking at her arm, she decided that this might be her only chance to save her friend and she was going to take it.

Irene shoved her claw into Anna's open stomach and focused on transferring her Grimm half. She didn't know if this was going to work at all but after a few seconds, she felt a sudden jolt from her claw and it kinda…melted off her arm slowly. As the claw, and the rest of Irene's Grimm half, melted into Anna's open wound. The black ooze formed little tentacles and they ripped out what was left of Anna's organs inside her stomach and began implanting themselves inside her. Irene was disturbed to say the least but she started feeling dizzy. After her entire Grimm half came off of her, she looked like her normal self. The only thing that wasn't normal was her heart rate. She hadn't realized her Grimm half was also keeping her heart from giving out. But now, after completely separating from it, her heart was giving out.

 _Looks like that behemoth Grimm was supposed to kill me after all…_ Irene fell back and her eyes closed slowly.

 _?_

Pyrrha was now back with Anna and she was sitting there looking down at the pool of water.

"Anna how's Ratchet?!" She asked worriedly.

Anna jumped up. "Huh? Oh. Uh I guess he's good." Anna looked Pyrrha in the eyes to make sure she was ok. "Specter huh?"

Pyrrha sighed. "I don't know. That's not important right now. We have other things to focus on."

"Yeah. You got a point." Said a third voice behind the girls. As Pyrrha and Anna turned around, they saw Irene and she wasn't part Grimm. She was fully human.

"Irene?!" The girls said in surprise.

Irene waved. "Hey. Anna please forgive me…I wanted to save you so bad that I didn't think of the consequences."

"Save me?" Anna questioned. "What are you talking about?"

Suddenly Anna started to fade away and Pyrrha took a step back. "But how…"

Anna looked worried. "Pyrrha! Irene! What's going on?!"

Pyrrha looked over to Irene and she couldn't believe what she did. "You…did you...transfer your Grimm half into her?"

Anna looked at Irene. "W-why?!"

Irene had a sad smile. "The world still needs you. Plus if you were gone, I'd be the only girl on team RAIN…watch after those idiots ok?"

Before Anna could reply, she fully disappeared. Pyrrha and Irene were now the only two here. Pyrrha turned around and touched the water. The water showed Ratchet coming towards a set of big doors. Pyrrha sat down and watched him. She promised him she'd always be with him and this was the only way she could do it.

Irene saw Pyrrha sitting by the pool but she turned away and looked off into the endless void. "Im sorry."

Pyrrha heard Irene but didn't respond at first. She sighed. "I don't blame you Irene. You didn't know it was a bomb."

"I still can't forgive myself. I didn't just hurt you, I hurt everyone." Irene turned around. "I'll go on ahead. You coming?"

Pyrrha turned and gave her a smile. "Sorry. I'll catch up at some point."

Irene smiled back. "Are you waiting for someone?"

Pyrrha nodded. "Yeah."

"Will he be here too?"

Pyrrha turned and looked down at the water that was showing Ratchet walking into the room. "Yeah…someday."

With that, Irene began her journey into the void. She knew not what she would find or if it ended at some point. What she did know is that she would see everyone again someday, until then however, she would think of what she should do for an apology.

* * *

 **A/N: Hello everyone. Been a while hasn't it? Well I want you all to know that it's been fun and I'm glad a couple of you have read my story but now, our journey is over.**

 **Is what I would say but we still have a little bit to go so don't worry lol.**

 **First off, I apologize for last chapter. Not because of how short but because it said chapter 27 instead of 26. This chapter, what you just read is chapter 27. Last chapter is 26. The numbers just got mixed so don't worry, you didn't like read a chapter ahead or anything.**

 **Im aware this is a tad bit short but the final chapters are going to be that way a bit since, well, everything can be summed up in short chapters. No need to go overboard. The way things are rolling makes it seem like there are only two or three chapters to go. So yeah. Sorry if this has been a marvelous journey into the supernatural adventure romance thingy that is this story but all things must end. So the final chapters should be out later today, for sometime tomorrow. Afterwards we shall have a talk about le future. Until next time ladies and gentlemen.**

 **\- CLOUD MARIO**


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28: To Save The Future

Ratchet opened the doors into his fathers office and sure enough, he was sitting in his chair as if he knew how the fight with Specter would turn out.

"So she ran?" He asked.

"Yeah. I'll deal with her another time." Ratchet walked up to the desk and sat in the chair in front of it. "Talk."

His dad leaned forward. "Well? What would you like to know?"

"Your name." Ratchet said.

"Makes sense. My name is Jack. Your mother's name was Elizabeth."

Ratchet was still waiting for Jack to finish. "Well? What about our last name?"

"Sorry. You aren't ready to know that just yet."

Ratchet gritted his teeth. "Fine. Then tell me this, why? Why go so far to kill your own son?"

Jack leaned back in his chair and sighed. "Isn't it obvious? I was trying to save the future. If you were able to stop a war between kingdoms from breaking out and killing thousands of people, wouldn't you also do the same?"

Ratchet shook his head. "Not if it meant killing my own child. I would find another way."

Jack chuckled. "Yeah I'm not surprised you'd say that. You definitely are your mothers child. She would never have agreed to anything I've done. She never understood the saying 'for the greater good'

"Oh please," Ratchet began. "You're not trying to just kill me. Operation MoonLight would've killed just about everyone in Remnant if we hadn't stopped it."

Jack cracked his knuckles. "Yeah. I guess you have a point. But so what? If we wipe out the leaders of each kingdom including you, the war can't happen. Sure many lives will be lost either way, but to keep the peace and freedom…Freedom will do whatever it takes."

"You're insane." Ratchet growled.

Jack shrugged. "So I've been told. Anything else you'd like to know?"

Ratchet was ready to end this. He wanted to kill Jack right here and now but something was stopping him. Was it because he was his dad?

"Perhaps you'd like to know why you suddenly have these impulses of extreme violence? Like your brutal killing of Swift and Liz." Jack spoke up. That got Ratchet's attention and Jack went on.

"You see, our family has a…history of violence. We wield extreme power depending on our current situation. Throughout each generation, this trait is either stronger or weaker. For you it's about average. Soon however, it will consume you."

Ratchet narrowed his eyes. "Bullshit."

Jack smirked. "You think I'm kidding? Fine. But give it some time. In about seven years or so it should fully consume your mind and change you into some psychopath like Neo."

Ratchet stood up and prepared a fire ball in his hand. "That's enough. I'm done with you."

Jack slowly reached under his desk and smiled. "So you're gonna kill your old man? That's fucked up."

Ratchet rolled his eyes. "Says the guy trying to kill his son."

"Touché." Jack grabbed what was under his desk and slowly pulled it up for Ratchet to see. "This is a pill. Consider it a late birthday present or something. Taking it will make it seem like you're dead for a good few days…or so I'm told. This hasn't been tested so who knows."

Ratchet couldn't believe this guy. "You serious? Why would I even need that?"

Jack shrugged. "I'm sure there are still some things going on in your head. Like how big Freedom truly is. Let's be real, you didn't think we were only a single big building right?"

"Enough. See you in hell."

Jack placed the pill on the desk. "Your mother will not be happy we aren't up there with her."

With that, Ratchet hurled his fireball into Jack's chest. It ripped through him and his chair without much effort, killing the man instantly. He died with a smile on his face. Ratchet looked down at the pill and picked it up. Was the old man really trying to kill him with this? Or maybe…

Ratchet thought about what Specter had said.

 _Something happened to you in the Badlands._

He promised Ruby he'd train with her out there but what happened? Why couldn't Ruby save or stop him from starting a war? Or maybe Ruby was the reason he changed. Whatever the cause, Ratchet had too find out. It was at this moment that he knew why his dad gave him the pill.

He was trying to give him a head start.

If the rest of Freedom heard he was dead, they couldn't focus their efforts on tracking him. If he was presumed dead, his friends wouldn't be targeted either. If he was presumed dead, he could become a ghost. Find information without attracting too much attention. But this would only work if this pill didn't kill him.

Ratchet heard footsteps down the hall and guessed it was some of his friends. Throwing caution out the window, he swallowed the pill. Almost immediately, he puked up blood. His insides felt like they were melting and he felt his heart rate speed up at an alarming rate.

He fell to the ground in immense pain. The footsteps grew louder and he saw Ivin, Ruby and Yang appear in the doorway.

"Oh god! Ratchet!" Ruby made her way to him and held him close. She saw his eyes and he seemed to be losing consciousness. "W-what do we do?!"

Ivin checked his heart rate and noticed all the blood he threw up. "What the hell…he's…dying at an alarming rate!"

Ratchet coughed up some more blood and smiled at his friends. "W-what are you talking about? I can't die."

Yang shook her head. "Shut up dummy. Save your strength. We're getting you outta here."

Another mouthful of blood said otherwise. Ratchet weakly pulled Ruby's head closer to his and whispered so Ivin and Yang couldn't hear.

"Listen and trust me ok?"

Ruby nodded and listened to what Ratchet told her.

 _Outside the Freedom hideout…_

Anna looked like shit. She made her way outside as quickly as possible and she was carrying Irene with her. When everyone asked what happened, she explained as best she could but made sure to keep her little adventure in the afterlife out of it.

Now everybody was just waiting for Ivin, Ruby and Yang to return with Ratchet.

"How long has it been?" Anna asked.

"About eight minutes." Weiss replied. "Ivin said they had about ten minutes before it all came down…"

From the fires inside the hangar was a shadow followed by three others. Everyone smiled and ran over towards them.

"Ratchet your ok!" Nick and Anna yelled out but soon their smiles faded.

Yang came out of the hole first with Ratchet on her back and Ivin and Ruby behind them. What they noticed was that Ratchet wasn't moving.

Ratchet was the only casualty amongst the students of Beacon during the mission to bring down Freedom and stop Operation MoonLight.


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29: Aftermath

It had been a few days since teams RWBY, JNPR and RAIN returned from their mission. Although a success, Ratchet died. Irene also died but since she went rouge, they couldn't mention her in the official report.

Ratchet had asked to be buried at the special place Yang showed him. Yang agreed right before he died and that's what everybody did. It was tough for Ruby but she managed. Everyone said their respects and wishes before departing but Ruby stayed behind.

Ruby stood there staring at the gravestone. Her hood was up and her cloak practically covered her small body. What nobody seemed to notice was that under her cloak she had a shovel. Thinking back on what Ratchet told her before he died, she began digging.

 _I may be dead but I'm not. I taking a chance and saying I have about 3 days…make sure I'm out by or before then ok? Trust me Ruby. I know it sounds crazy but this is for the best I swear._

Ruby didn't fully understand but she quickly dug up the grave and opened the coffin. Sure enough, Ratchet was there and he was just starting to wake up.

"What…?" Ruby said confused.

Ratchet sat up and cracked his neck. "Holy shit…that pill actually worked…"

Ruby jumped on top of Ratchet and hugged him tight. "Ratchet you're alive!"

Ruby was basically choking Ratchet rather than hugging him. "R-Ruby! Can't breathe!"

"Oh!" She got off of him quickly. "Sorry."

Ratchet explained what was going to happen from this point on. He would go in hiding until Ruby graduated. After she did, they would meet up in the Badlands near a town outside of Vale. Ruby could visit if she wanted but he made her promise only if it's important. Afterward, Ratchet and Ruby filled up the grave so it looked like it did before and parted.

 _Various news reports from the past four years…_

 _Headmaster Ozpin has finally opened up on recent events that transpired near the borders of Vale. A secret organization named Freedom was trying to bring harm to the people of the world by dropping the moon on Remnant. They have been stopped thanks to the bravery of teams RAIN, JNPR and RWBY however two of the students, Pyrrha Nikos of JNPR and Ratchet of RAIN had been killed in the battle to save the world…_

 _In recent news, Ivin Kekovich has made an official statement that he is seeing someone. The lucky girls name is Neo, a criminal who worked under the nefarious Roman Torchwick but is now on the side of good. Or at least whatever side Mr. Kekovich is on…_

 _Today, the teams that saved the world, RAIN, RWBY and JNPR have all graduated and can now truly be called Huntsman or Huntress'…_

 _Ruby Rose, one of the many heroes who saved Remnant from destruction by the forces of Freedom, has disappeared. None of her friends know where she is and they have been searching frantically for her but have found nothing..._

 _There has been word from outside that a new group comprised of only two people are going around and wrecking havoc amongst the Badlands. It is unknown what these two are doing but General Ironwood has stated that his forces will keep the people safe from harm…_

 _Today we celebrate the loving memory of Ratchet and Pyrrha Nikos. These two sacrificed their lives in order to stop Freedom from destroying the peace amongst the kingdoms. We also have a special guest with us today! The very hero who was there to stop Freedom and saved an orphanage from being destroyed by a sudden outbreak of Grimm, ladies and gentleman, Jaune Arc!_

 _Anna, a member of team RAIN who stopped Freedom has won the national championship in this years vital festival. Her scythe skills have truly improved during the years and it's great that she's doing well…_

 _It's been four years and Nick, a hero from team RAIN who helped stop Freedom, has agreed to share his knowledge of his mental A.I. with General Ironwood. We all hope this will further our advances in technology and help us all in our everyday lives…_

 _Present…_

The sky was a clear beautiful bright orange. Not a single cloud was in the sky to block the sun's slow decent into darkness as it faded behind the mountains in the distance. The cool breeze made the leaves rustle and it was very calming to the mind. It was almost as if this was straight out of a painting at an art museum. There was but one figure standing there on top of a cliff to take it all in.

"So…this is why…" A young man said aloud as he looked at the gorgeous view of the forest and the sky. Autumn was truly a beautiful time of the year. He looked down at a gravestone and knelt down to place his hand on the top. "I'm sorry…" The young man thought about the events that happened fours years ago. Events that changed him and his fiends and even the fate of the world itself. Taking a deep breath to calm down from his bad memories, he exhaled and reached into his pocket. He placed a crimson rose on the grave before walking away on his journey back to Beacon.

As he made his way towards the school, he got a message on his monocle.

 _Ivin are you at the reunion yet? You don't want to be late._

Ivin shook his head. His monocle was no ordinary monocle, it was a link between him and Neo. Because Neo is a mute, she always had to text or write what she wanted to say and Ivin assumed that was tiring to do. So he created an earring for her, whenever she thought of Ivin and wanted to say something, it would appear on his monocle. When he needed to respond or talk to her, he did the same thing and the earring made his text seem like he was speaking directly to her. He patted himself on the back for this incredible creation.

Ivin made his way back towards Beacon quickly and got there in a couple of minutes and made his way to the lunch room. Opening the doors, he was slammed to the ground by a hunk of metal and flesh. "H-hello Nick."

Nick laughed and got up from Ivin, helping him up in the process. "Everyone, our guest is here!"

Everyone laughed and made their way to Ivin who patted some dirt off his sleeve.

"Guest? Pfft, more like VIP."

Anna punched Ivin lightly on his arm. "Oh please. If anyone of us is the VIP then it'd be mister save an orphanage over here."

Jaune blushed a little. "Heh, it was nothing. Really."

Blake shook her head. "Actually it was something. You saved a bunch of kids from a bunch of Grimm. Well done Jaune."

Ivin noticed somebody was missing from the small gathering. "Where's Yang?"

An awkward silence fell on the group when Ivin asked that question. Ren was the first to break it. "She…didn't show up."

"More like ignored us completely." Anna said coldly. "This is supposed to be a reunion."

"True," Blake agreed. "But how can it be without…them…"

Blake didn't say it but it didn't take a genius to know what she was talking about. Without Pyrrha, Ruby and Ratchet, it didn't feel like a reunion. Ivin also remembered seeing something about Yang going out into the Badlands a few days ago. He kept tabs on all his friends to make sure everyone was safe. Some would call that stalking but he only did it to make sure they were safe. Nothing more, nothing less.

Nora blew up a balloon and popped it to get everyone's attention. "Come on guys! If Yang isn't here then let's just have the fun for her!"

Everyone smiled at Nora's attempt to get them back into the little party and it worked. The little reunion began and everyone shared stories of what they were doing and how their lives have been going. It was a great time for everyone.

 _Out in the Badlands…_

A cloaked figure ran through the streets of the small settlement she currently found herself in. Carrying a basket of food with her, she was being chased by the so called guards of this little town but she knew better. They were just bandits who would make her pay with her body rather than actually using money.

She rounded another corner before realizing she had ran into a dead end. She turned around to get out but it was too late, the two bandits chasing her were in her way.

"You sure gave us some trouble miss. You're gonna have to pay for that." The one on the right said with a smile. His buddy nodded his head and laughed as he checked her out.

"Kinda hard to see your body miss. Why don't you open your cloak?" He said.

She smiled and dropped the basket of food, opening her cloak and pulling out her weapon. The weapon didn't seem like much besides a sniper until she opened it. It transformed into a massive scythe much bigger than her and it's blade glowed a ghostly white.

The two bandits were gripped with fear as they knew who she was. "White Rose?! You're White Rose?!"

White Rose smiled. "Guess you fucked with the wrong girl huh?"

Before the two bandits could move to run away, White Rose moved with incredible speed and cut the legs off of the one on the left and he screamed out in pain as his legs fell to the ground. The one on the right was cut in half by the glowing white scythe. As White Rose turned to the torso of the bandit beside her, she saw the fear in his eyes.

"Pl-please! Don't!" He screamed.

It was pointless though. She cut his head off and kicked his torso to the side. She didn't feel pity for these guys. They were going to rape her and then kill her so why should she care about how they felt? Plus out here in the Badlands, there are no rules, no justice system like in the kingdoms.

White Rose picked up the basket and headed outside the settlement. Awaiting her in a cave was her companion. He saw her and smiled.

"Well hello there beautiful."

White Rose rolled her eyes. "I got the food."

She sat down next to her friend who had started a fire not too long ago. "So how was the jog? Did you see a bunch of cool things? Perhaps any cute boys?" He joked.

White Rose shifted through some of the contents in the basket. "Fine, nope and I saw two bandits who tried to get there hands on me but I killed them quick."

The man nodded and stared at the fire. "Today makes four." White Rose looked up at him."Well four for me. For you it's been about three years. But yeah…I wonder how everyone is doing."

White Rose got close to him and rested her head on his shoulder, enjoying the warmth of the fire. "Don't worry Ratchet. We'll see them all again one day."

Ratchet smiled sadly and rested his head against her's. "Yeah Ruby…I hope your right…"

 _The Legend Lives On..._

* * *

 **A/N: The End!**

 **It has been a fun and truly interesting experience hasn't it? I hope I was able to deliver a unique (ish) OC story. I like OC stories but I feel like they are all (or at least most of them) the same in the sense that the OC has this dark past that's not like 10/10 fucked up or said character is op as fuck and has a dark past and chooses to be a lone wolf.**

 **You know what I mean?**

 **Now I'm not saying _all_ OC stories like that are the same and just suck. No of course not. If you truly believe in the character you are writing then shoot for the stars! Hope I didn't contradict myself there.**

 **With team RAIN, I wanted to focus it around all of them equally but slowly I loved Ratchet the most. Ever since he was young, he's wanted to do the right thing and sad people. With the sudden Grimm attack on Vale (end of volume 2) Irene's supposed death really took a toll on him. After that, him and Nick didn't really have a good relationship since Nick could've saved her but Ratchet believes he didn't try hard enough.**

 **I also wanted to try and capture a sense of...darkness? There's probably a better term for that. Anyway, as the story progresses, Ratchet slowly becomes more violent and cruel. Freedom's plan to destroy the world is not something to take lightly and we notice it makes Ratchet really stressful. Loss of sleep, extreme anger in fights, loss of Pyrrha and finally, cruel acts that he believes are for the good of everyone. I hope I really captured a sense of a hero, no matter what or who they are, can fall too darkness when pushed over their limits.**

 **Dont get me wrong, Ivin, Irene, Nick and Anna are all characters I love as well in my own special way but Ratchet is my favorite. I do regret not going into them as much and I can only ask that you forgive me.**

 **You're probably wondering what happens now.**

 **...**

 **Well...I don't know. Honestly I hate the way I ended this. It feels like if I ever decide to continue with The Legend Of RAIN, I'll be forced down a path that I can't swerve or turn from you know?**

 **However...**

 **I would love to continue with team RAIN. Maybe a series? Chronicles Of RAIN sounds nice. This story could just be a...non canon story. People do that with their OC stories right? Thought so.**

 **So I'd really appreciate any thoughts about how this journey went. And hopefully, someday, team RAIN can come back and either continue their fight or start a brand new journey into the mysterious and intriguing world of Remnant.**

 **\- CLOUD MARIO**


	30. Prologue to sequel

_It's been a total of four years. For years in this hellhole. How people live out here is beyond me but I can't leave, not yet. I still have to stop Freedom and what's worse is that I think we're being hunted._

 _I know we are being followed but I don't know by who or what and it's driving me crazy. Well…I'm not sure what to say now. That's as much as an update as ever I suppose._

 _I've heard everyone is doing well back in Vale. That's good…I can't imagine they would be very happy with me and what I've done but it's not like I was given a choice. I'm doing this for them._

 _For her…_

 _Anyway, I need to get a move on. It's getting dark and that's when it's best to move around._

I close the book and sigh to myself as I stare at leather cover. It's nothing much. Just a small book with maybe like a hundred pages or so. I've only recently been writing in it when I need to let out some frustration or just gather my thoughts.

Slowly I get up and put on my cloak so my body is covered up and pull up the hood so my face is slightly hidden. I look over at my partner and she's putting on her white cloak with a smile.

"See something you like?" She teases.

I roll my eyes. "Hurry up Ruby. We gotta get to Queens before the Paladins do. I don't feel like dealing with them."

Ruby saluted and picked up her sniper. "Well then? Ladies first."

I sigh and step out of the cave. The harsh warm night weather hits my face and I pull up my purple bandanna to cover it up and reduce the sand hitting me. The bizarre weather out here isn't something we aren't used too but it's still a bitch to deal with.

I look at Ruby. "Ready kid?"

She pouts. "Come on Ratchet! I'm 20 this year!"

I smile to myself and start walking into the storm. "So you are."

Ruby follows me and starts humming to herself as we make our way to Queens. Once there, we get the information we need and get out. But we have to move fast or else the Paladins that Ironwood sent for us will beat us there and take us out.

I look down at Ruby and smile. That's right…as long as I remember I'm doing this for her…everything will be ok. It has to be…

Off in the distance, Ratchet and Ruby had no idea that they were being watched over by a glowing pair of red eyes…

* * *

 **A/N: Huzzah! I am back!**

 **So I have decided to do a sequel...kinda. I wanted to write out this quick little prologue and see how everything fits and I like it so far. Also wanted to give you all a taste of what's in store for the next chapter of the team RAIN.**

 **Or would it be RR? Double R? I'll think of something.**

 **So I hope you all enjoyed this small taste for what's to come in the next story,**

 **The Legend Of RAIN: Meltdown!**

 **\- CLOUD MARIO**


End file.
